


Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 3: Orion's Journey)

by Canso99



Series: Transformers: Mobian Chronicles [3]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 41,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24109651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canso99/pseuds/Canso99
Summary: Optimus Prime suffers a bit of a hiccup with his magic and reverts to his pre-Matrix state of Orion Pax. How will he regain his power and will he learn any lessons from this experience?
Series: Transformers: Mobian Chronicles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734937
Kudos: 1
Collections: Sonic Fanfics





	1. Chapter 1

After a few hours of banging the bottle against the _Ark_ ’s wall on the bridge and finally shattering it, Optimus turned to the empty bridge. “Okay guys!” he called. “I finally got it cracked and you ain’t here. Scrap.”

“They shuffled on to the bar at Four Forward,” revealed Teletraan.

“Typical,” sighed Optimus as he slumped into the Captain’s chair. “Abso-fragging-lutely typical.”

“Language,” admonished a voice with a familiar Texan drawl. Optimus turned to the source of the voice.

“Master Sergeant Ironhide, did you, of all bots, just zing me for language?” he said with a slight grin.

“Wait ‘til you’re an old mech like me,” replied Ironhide with a chuckle. “Once you’re my age, you can get away with anything.”

“From what I’ve heard,” recalled Optimus, “there was a mech that never swore. My predecessor, I believe.”

“Now THAT’S a lie,” corrected Ironhide. “I heard Sentinel swear once.”

“Is this a war story?” asked Optimus.

“Well, if you’re really too busy as a Prime to listen to an old mech…,” rumbled Ironhide. Optimus offered the Captain’s chair to Ironhide with a grin on his face. He loved Ironhide’s war stories. Ironhide sat down and Optimus sat Japanese style on the floor. “It was at the Battle of Las Vegas in 2009,” began Ironhide. “The mission was to quietly get some Energon out from the outskirts of the city, but the ‘Cons had gotten wind of the plan. So there I was, holding them off with Sentinel and Chromia. We were getting swarmed all over our left flank! The ‘Cons had a few Insecticons with them and leading them was Hardshell!”

“Ew!” squirmed Optimus. “I saw him in the Stockade!”

“Well,” continued Ironhide, “then you know how Insecticons eat during battle. Hardshell and his toadies were guzzling Energon during the fight. When we were about to run out, Sentinel had just about had it up to his optics and said, very loudly, ‘F***KIN’ POOZITS!’ and fired at Hardshell himself.”

“An Earth swear, no less!” chuckled Optimus. He was about to ask for another story when Prowl’s voice came in on the comms.

“Prowl to bridge, you two are needed in the cargo hold,” he called

“The cargo hold?” repeated Optimus. “What’s going on?”

“Believe me, you want to see it,” answered Prowl.

“On our way,” confirmed Optimus. He and Ironhide left the bridge and entered the cargo hold. The other Autobots and on board Mobians were gathered around a spot. Jazz moved aside to let Optimus and Ironhide look at it. What was “it”? It was a fuzzy creature that could fit in a Cybertronian’s hand. It almost looked like a pale brown ball of fur that had tiny feet and big eyes that added to the cuteness of the creature.

“Whoa! Speaking of Poozits!” exclaimed Ironhide.

“How did it get on board?” asked Optimus.

“I managed to find this on it,” answered Jazz as he held up a collar. Optimus examined the name on it. It read “Fwuffy” in the Autobot wartime language. “Now, the question is, what’s your girlfriend’s Poozit doing on our ship?”

“She must have brought it here,” guessed Optimus.

“Your girlfriend? How?” asked Prowl.

“Teletraan 1, do you still have the mystery bot’s Spark signature?” quizzed Optimus.

“Sure do,” replied Teletraan.

“Run a match test with the sample of Elita 1’s Spark signature I gave you,” directed Optimus.

“Performing test,” reported Teletraan. “Processing…processing…test complete. Match confirmed. Elita 1’s our mystery bot.”

“Now a possibility becomes clear,” remarked Optimus, “infiltration.”

“Optimus?” asked Sonic.

“Elita 1’s joined the Autobot Intelligence Network as a Spy-changer,” explained Optimus. “She’s a lady that’s under deep cover. My guess is that she came here after she was informed of the _Harbinger_ ’s flight from Cybertron and heard about its crew.”

“What’s her name in the Decepticons?” quizzed Shadow.

“That, I can’t tell you,” sighed Optimus. “The only ones who are gonna be in the know are the Spy-changers.”

“And your staff?” asked Amy.

“Sorry,” replied Optimus. “Only the Spy-changers are supposed to know.”

“In any case,” mused Prowl, “we have to bring the Poozit to a vegetation intensive world.”

“What? No!” protested Optimus. “If you’re worried about breeding, then forget it. Elita had it neutered. On top of that, it had a veggie replicator in its habitat on Cybertron.”

“It’s not the breeding I’m concerned about,” explained Prowl, “it’s a certain genetic signature I’ve found. It matches that of a Nebulan.”

“So we keep it away from Fwuffy,” assured Optimus. “If I recall correctly, Poozits don’t like Nebulans.”

“Can I take a picture of Fwuffy?” asked Amy.

“Go ahead!” replied Optimus with a grin. Amy took out a camera as Optimus knelt down to stroke Fwuffy. The Poozit closed its eyes as it cooed. Amy then took a picture of the cute scene.

“Wow, never thought I’d see the day,” chuckled Sonic.

“Huh?” asked Optimus.

“Maybe if we meet her,” mused Sonic, “Elita 1 will want to see that picture.”

“Oh, shut up!” protested Optimus, his face turning scarlet.

“Optimus, I really must protest keeping the Poozit with us!” insisted Prowl.

“Who’s Prime?” asked Optimus as he got in a little too close to Prowl. There was a bit of silence. “Thought so,” remarked Optimus as he backed off. “Now then, I’m off to make a habitat for the little guy. You bots do whatever you wish. Teletraan, alert us if there’s a problem.” He then headed to the transporter room. Ratchet followed as well as Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and the Autobots’ organic allies. Jazz, Prowl, and Ironhide stayed on the ship. Prowl was going to leave so he could get familiar with the ship, he stayed on the bridge during the trip from Cybertron, when he noticed that Jazz and Ironhide looked at the door Optimus left through.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

“He’s my best friend,” replied Jazz, “and I love him like a bro, but the instant this attitude of his bites him in the aft, I’m gonna point and laugh at him.”

“Get in line,” directed Ironhide. “Family friends have dibs on it.”

“Prowl, did Prime say anything to you after the fight over the Tox-En?” asked Jazz.

“Nothing that would sweep my experience as a Praxian Internment Camp survivor under the rug,” assured Prowl, “but I did see evidence of jackholery. The naming ceremony for the ship, and just a few nano cycles ago are good examples.”

“Recommendations?” quizzed Ironhide.

“Optimus is still a young bot,” remarked Prowl, “but he is old enough to know better. He may need a refresher in watching what he says.”

“Are you suggesting…?” asked Jazz.

“We have to monitor Optimus Prime,” suggested Prowl.

“Spy on him?!” yelped Ironhide.

“Absolutely out of the question!” declared Jazz. “The Grand Auto-Codex, our code of law…!”

“Has already been violated,” interrupted Prowl. “You landing here has caused some damage, sir. It’s given Optimus a huge ego, on top of him being the youngest bot to inherit the Matrix. All we can do now is minimize that ego”

“By snooping in on him? By acting like Decepticons?” asked Jazz.

“By letting him know that his actions don’t go unnoticed. Letting him know that this has to stop or we take action against him,” explained Prowl.

“2nd Lieutenant Prowl,” hissed Jazz, “I cannot, I WILL not, snoop on my best friend and my Prime on account of him being a bit of a jackhole. To snoop on a bot with just that, and no other probable cause, violates the very essence of the Grand Auto-Codex!”

“Like it or not,” remarked Prowl, “he is a dangerous bot. If this attitude of his gets out of hand, he may say the wrong thing.”

“And you think that wrong thing will be directed to the Decepticons?” asked Ironhide.

“Exactly,” confirmed Prowl. “And that will lead to diplomatic repercussions, in-fighting, attacks on both sides, and then the Pax Cybertronia is null and void and Cybertron is at war once again.” That sentence hung in the air like a vast, predatory bird.

“Horrifying,” sighed Jazz. “Prowl, you once lived under constant watch and in constant fear that you would displease Shockwave if you tried to do anything aside from following orders. That constant watching over you has made you paranoid to a very small degree. Now, you want to introduce that paranoia to our leader? No! We’re going to find another method to tell Optimus to be mindful of his actions.” He motioned for Ironhide and Prowl to follow him to the transporter room.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy had been beamed to her house as she had an outing with Sira and Trema, who had recently returned from her home planet of Nebulos. She met them at a café where Trema had shrunk herself down and turned herself into a Mobian rabbit with green fur and dressing in dark clothing, similar to her witch’s outfit. They sat down at a table near the window and chatted about life in general. Amy was about to show Optimus and Fwuffy’s picture when a hedgehog waitress in blue fur, Misty, came up to them. “Hello, ladies,” she said pleasantly, albeit forced, “are you ready to order?”

“Yes, I’d like one of your delicious chocolate muffins and a cup of coffee,” replied Sira. “Milk and sugar, please.”

“I’ll have a cheese danish and lemonade, please,” answered Trema.

“And the usual strawberry scone and green tea for me, please,” finished Amy.

“All right,” said Misty, more pleasantly. “I’ll be back in a minute with your orders.”

“Forgive me for asking,” mused Sira, “but I thought I felt a magic aura around you.”

“I figured you two were witches like Amy here,” answered Misty, feeling a little more comfortable knowing she was around witches like herself.

“You can speak freely about your emotions with us,” assured Trema.

“Honestly, I was afraid that you’d order a Terra-pie,” sighed Misty. “If I had to explain to them one more time…!”

“Who ordered that culinary abomination?!” asked Sira.

“Those hedgehogs over there,” replied Misty as she pointed at a table in the corner. The creatures there looked almost like old Earth hedgehogs in battle-gear.

“Hedgehogs?” muttered Sira in disbelief.

“Those are hedgehogs?” asked Trema.

“I’m gonna guess you two aren’t from around here,” guessed Misty. “I’ll be back with your orders.” She left the table to get their orders to the kitchen. Sira and Trema looked at Amy for an explanation. She looked embarrassed.

“They ARE hedgehogs,” she confirmed. “It’s a long story behind their appearance.”

“Some sort of genetic tampering?” asked Trema.

“A virus?” quizzed Sira.

“The mutation wave the Xorda used was interrupted,” explained Amy. “They call their culture a warrior culture, steeped in tradition.”

“Like the Klingons,” remarked Sira.

“Exactly,” replied Amy as she caught the reference. “They call themselves ‘Warrior-hogs’.” Misty then returned with their orders.

“Enjoy yourselves, my witch-kin,” she bid, in the proper way one witch says to another. She then departed to lead a human woman to a table. As Amy, Sira, and Trema ate, Amy remembered something.

“Trema,” she called, “I almost forgot something.” She then took out her camera and scrolled through the images. “I’ve finally come into contact with an alien animal.” She found the picture of Optimus holding Fwuffy. “The Autobots called it…”

“A Poozit!” said Trema as she gave a low growl at the sight of Fwuffy. Amy put the camera away.

“Would you relax?” hissed Sira. “You’re making a scene.”

“Where did you find that…thing?!” snarled Trema.

“In the cargo hold of the Autobot ship,” answered Amy. “We think that Fwuffy’s being here is proof of Optimus’ girlfriend being here as well. Prowl said he detected your genetic signature and mentioned that Poozits don’t like Nebulans.”

“The feeling’s mutual!” growled Trema. “They are a detestable animal!”

“It was my understanding that most Nebulans like furry animals,” observed Sira, “especially ones that can fit in your hand.”

“Those monsters do nothing but breed and consume!” insisted Trema. “If you feed that thing the slightest morsel, in a matter of hours, you’ll have ten, then a hundred, then a thousand!”

“Would you relax?” asked Amy. “Optimus said it was neutered. Breeding is impossible.”

“Even a sterile Poozit is a mortal enemy of the Nebulan Republic!” urged Trema.

“This?!” quizzed Amy as she showed the picture again. Trema shut her eyes, snarling. “A mortal enemy of the Nebulan Republic?” continued Amy.

“They’re an ecological menace!” replied Trema, once again opening her eyes. “A plague to be wiped out!”

“Wiped out?” yelped Sira. “I’m surprised a witch of the Green Order, the masters of nature spells and animals, would say that.”

“Hundreds of Nebulan warriors were sent to track them down throughout the galaxy,” explained Trema. “An armada obliterated the Poozit home world. By the end of Mobius’ 30th century, it was believed they were eradicated.”

“Another glorious chapter of the History of the Nebulan Republic,” teased Sira. “Tell me, do they still sing songs of the Great Poozit Hunt?” It was then that Sira noticed one of the warrior-hogs get up and walk towards the human that Misty showed a table to. She looked up and Amy looked on in horror.

“Oh no,” she gulped. “That warrior-hog’s gonna start something.”

“Young Rose?” asked Sira.

“Warrior-hogs love to prove themselves, especially against humans,” explained Amy.

“Well, well!” chuckled the warrior-hog. “A human decided to join us!”

“I was unaware your people visited this café,” muttered the human, with a voice that sounded familiar to Amy.

“No…it can’t be!” she whispered.

“I’m sorry to hear that a pale, hairless monkey would not know of my people,” answered the warrior-hog.

“Insulting another sentient life-form because of her species?!” snarled Trema. “I thought you said they were warriors! Where is the honor in his actions?!”

“I said that they called themselves warriors,” corrected Amy. “I didn’t say the rest of society views them as such.”

“Well,” mumbled the human, “a pale, hairless monkey, never been called that before. I suppose that’s your opinion.” That comment earned some impressed looks.

“Indeed,” chuckled the warrior-hog. “And if my opinion is that humans are weaklings that can’t even lift a proper knife like mine, who would argue?”

“And if my opinion of you, specifically,” hissed the woman, “is that you are a fraud and a lying coward, who would argue?” All noise in the café stopped. The tension could be cut with a knife.

“Skin job,” growled the warrior-hog as he slowly drew his knife, “don’t you think you should…rephrase that?”

“I phrased it most carefully, Marcus,” replied the woman. The warrior-hog raised his knife to strike only to find that two kicks at his legs and three punches to the ribs, left shoulder, and solar plexus struck him simultaneously. He was floored and dropped his knife. The woman then planted a foot on his chest and left wrist while her left hand held down his right arm and she held the knife above his eye. The woman was identified as Shockwave’s holo-form. “Do not think for a moment,” threatened Shockwave, “that it has gone unnoticed that you failed your end of the bargain! I am tempted to force you to share my perception of things.”

“STOP!” called Trema. Shockwave looked up. “What bargain did he strike with you?”

“5,000 rings for parts I need for my newest creation,” replied Shockwave. “I paid him. He did not deliver.”

“Then let his shame that someone like you bested him be his prison until he gives you the parts you need,” suggested Trema.

“Elaborate,” demanded Shockwave.

“I hail from a warrior culture,” answered Trema. “Where I come from, if there is a third party involved, the third party has the right to hold a symbol of the offending party’s honor until his debt is repaid to the party that was wronged. Once his debt is paid, I will restore his honor and we never need to discuss it again.” Shockwave mulled it over for a minute.

“Your argument…is logical,” she declared. She got off Marcus and handed Trema the knife.

“That’s my honor knife!” roared Marcus. “Give it back!” He leapt at Trema, but she knocked him down again with a simple backhand.

“What remains of your honor is mine until Shockwave gets the materials you agreed to give to her!” snarled Trema. She put the knife in her bag. “Whoever trained you may claim this once your debt is paid.” Shockwave then took out a stack of rings and put them at her table.

“Apologies for the disturbance,” she bid. She then walked out. As she did, she put her right pointer and middle fingers onto her chin and bowed to Trema. Amy leaned toward Sira.

“Time to leave, I think,” she guessed.

“I couldn’t agree more,” replied Sira. Amy paid for the meal as the three witches departed and gave a slight curtsey to Misty. The manager, a brown rat, arched an eyebrow.

“What was that all about?” he asked Misty.

“Later, sir,” dismissed Misty. “We have customers to take care of.”

“It’s almost closing time anyway,” continued the Head Chef, a tiger.

“Good point,” conceded the manager. He then turned to his customers. “Last orders, please. We apologize for the altercation that took place. Anyone who returns tomorrow will receive a 40% discount off their orders.”


	3. Chapter 3

October has come once again, my friends. You can feel the chill in your bones. The horrors of humanity stalk the earth in search of what they themselves can never claim. Hold tight to your sanity as the monsters reveal themselves, be they Godzilla-sized or from under that cozy, warm bed of yours. Watch your back on the streets as they prowl for something very, very sweet! ...That, and make sure you can actually see said monsters when they’re running around, ringing doorbells to get some candy from random strangers at the end of the month. Halloween is coming, my friends, and in the future, it’s a very fun day! In our planet’s future, during the Mobian era, the Autobots and their organic compatriots were getting their Halloween on to make up for last year. This time, they were dressing up. Amy was dressed as a bloody bride and had convinced Sonic to be her bloody groom. Rouge was in a slinky red dress, had put red feathers around her wings, wore a white feather boa, and had a pair of devil horns and a fluffy, red halo, making her a devil and angel hybrid. Shadow had a suit of black knight’s armor on and a spiky black crown with red jewels at the tip, making him an evil king. E123-Omega dressed as a rather bulky Metal Sonic. Cream was a cute little witch. Jazz had managed to get some Michael Jackson clothes in his size. Ratchet took the whole Mad Scientist thing and made himself into a patchwork Mad Scientist. Ironhide was a demonic cowboy. Bumblebee dressed as the Joker and Cliffjumper was the Riddler. Optimus had sharpened his dental plates, got a black and red paintjob, and a black cape for a bot his size. They were all ready for some October fun at G.U.N. Just then, someone knocked on the door. “I’ll get it,” called Amy. She opened the door and let Knuckles and Tails in. Tails had dressed up as a well-dressed ghoul and Knuckles was a mummy.

“Hi, everybody!” greeted Tails.

“Ghastly greetings, my friends!” cheered Optimus as he swished his cape.

“And to you, Prime! Ready to roll out?” asked Knuckles. He then looked around the room. “Hey, where’s Prowl? I thought we were all meeting before we headed to G.U.N.’s party.”

“He sure is taking his sweet time!” hissed Bumblebee.

“Excuse me for a klik,” bid Optimus.

“Mind if I tag along?” asked Amy. “I haven’t seen his costume yet.”

“Sure,” replied Optimus They headed to Prowl’s quarters and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” answered Prowl’s voice. The door opened to reveal Prowl at a mirror, dressed in the standard Deadpool outfit, and fiddling with the accessories.

“Prowl!” yelped Amy. “We’ve got to go any second now!”

“I’m having problems!” replied Prowl.

“Okay, either you’re getting into character,” chuckled Optimus, “or you really are procrastinating.”

“A policebot does NOT procrastinate!” protested Prowl. “This is a tactical delay.”

“All you have to do,” reminded Optimus, “is make some small talk for about an hour. I’m the one who has to make a speech commemorating our 1-year anniversary on this planet!”

“I don’t enjoy social events!” admitted Prowl.

“It’s standard fare for an Autobot,” replied Optimus and he made the adjustments to Prowl’s accessories. “There.” Prowl stopped fussing as he realized he was beaten.

“I don’t see the point in these ridiculous outfits,” he muttered.

“It’s all in good fun,” answered Amy.

“Optimus’ cape makes him look like he’s wearing a dress,” hissed Prowl. He ignored Amy’s icy gaze but didn’t escape a rebuke from Optimus.

“That was an incredibly sexist and outmoded comment!” he rebuked. “I’m surprised at you!” He turned to the door, but before he left, he said, “Besides, you’re just jealous that I can pull off a dress.” Amy grinned as Prowl turned to glare at Optimus.

“Need any cooling packs for that burn?” she snarked. Prowl rolled his optics and put the mask on, following Optimus and Amy out.

“Deadpool?” asked Bumblebee when he saw Prowl. “Straight-laced Prowl…picked the craziest guy…in all fictional history.”

“It’s Halloween,” replied Optimus. “He can dress how he wants, even as a Disney Princess.”

“You’re not gonna let my comment about your cape go, are you?” sighed Prowl.

“What did he say about the cape?” asked Shadow.

“He’s already got an earful,” answered Optimus. “Besides, that conversation took place in Prowl’s quarters. As such, we’re gonna drop it. Teletraan, the Ground Bridge to G.U.N. HQ, if you please.”

“Yes, Master!” slurred Teletraan, his avatar in full Igor gear. He then pulled a huge switch on the screen to open the Ground Bridge.

“Going as Igor, I see,” chuckled Tails.

“It’s pronounced ‘Eye-gor’,” corrected Teletraan.

“I…thought everyone calls that guy…Igor,” stumbled Tails.

“Well, they were wrong then, weren’t they?” asked Teletraan. “See you guys there.”

“How?” quizzed Sonic.

“We set up a link for Teletraan 1 to access G.U.N.’s main computer network,” rasped Shadow.

“Huh,” muttered Sonic. “Kind of creepy, if you ask me.”

“Let’s just roll out before things get weird,” suggested Ironhide.

“Agreed,” replied Optimus. They went through the Ground Bridge and arrived at the main building. “Happy Halloween!” greeted Optimus. The guests’ reactions were…puzzling to say the least.

“Prime?” muttered a red female cobra in Egyptian Pharaoh clothes. “Didn’t you already arrive a few minutes ago?”

“What?” quizzed the now confused Autobot leader.

“You mean just now, right?” asked Sonic.

“No,” answered the cobra, “I meant what I said. You went to Storage Barn 19.”

“The place with the explosives?” inquired Optimus. “What would I be doing there?”

“You tell us,” replied Commander Tower as he was made up like a zombie.

“Sir,” called a male kangaroo, dressed as the Demoman from Team Fortress 2, “movement’s been detected on a course with the Command Center. It bears Optimus’ Spark signature.”

“But I’m right here!” yelped Optimus.

“What’s going on here?!” called Jazz.

“I’m gonna meet this guy,” declared Optimus, “and give him a little scare.” He then brought his cape up to his face. “Wait here, my children of the night.” He then walked outside, laughing.

“I think watching him would be a very good idea,” suggested Tails.

“Corporal Lansworth,” called Tower to the cobra, “put him on the main screen.”

“Yes, Sir!” obliged Lansworth as she brought up the feed. Optimus, in the meantime, had managed to run into his doppelganger.

“Velcome, my child!” he said, in a horribly exaggerated German accent. “Are you, perhaps, looking for a place to stay? I can assure you zat a military base is not my first choice, especially vun zat has many spooks and…!”

“Will you just shut up, Floptimus Prime?!” snapped the other Optimus. “By Anarchy, even back in my universe, you love the sound of your own voice!”

“Erm…okay…confused,” mumbled Optimus. “Aren’t you my double?”

“Hardly,” dismiss the other Optimus.

“Who else could you be?” asked Optimus.

“Why, you don’t know?” chuckled the evil Optimus. “It’s me, Miles Prower!” Optimus’ optics went wide.

“Tails?!” he yelped. “But he’s…!” That was all he got out before “Miles Prower” decked him and rendered him unconscious.

* * *

“Oooogh!” groaned Optimus. He then noticed he was in Storage Barn 19, bound to the ceiling by his feet. “All right, who’s trying to do the Wampa scene from _Empire Strikes Back_? We all know how this is going to end.”

“Oh, goody,” sneered a voice, “you’re online. That means I have to listen to you talk.”

“Oh, hi evil me!” called Optimus. Then, for the third time that night, confusion crossed his face. “I’m probably still dizzy from the punch, but I think you said you were Tails.”

“Miles Prower, yes,” replied Evil Optimus. He then looked at a mirrored sheet of metal. “Hm, this color scheme doesn’t suit me at all.” He then snapped his fingers and purple slowly oozed over the red chassis, black flowed over the blue helmet, the optics faded from blue to red, and the red Autobot symbol on his shoulder turned purple as well. “Much better,” he said.

“Gotta say, Tails,” remarked Optimus, “looks like you put on a few pounds…and became more…metaly…is that even a word?”

“Miles…Prower!” hissed Evil Optimus. “And if it’s proof you want, it’s proof you shall have!” Evil Optimus turned to face Optimus completely. A hissing sound escaped Evil Optimus’ torso, like air escaping pipes. That’s when the vehicle mode canopy lifted up and chest panels opened outwards like doors to reveal the inner workings. What Optimus saw disturbed him for the rest of his natural life. Instead of a Spark chamber with the Matrix of Leadership glowing whitish blue behind it, a young fox kit was grafted into the torso, showing only the head and shoulders, with the Matrix’s crystal glowing an ominous purple. The fox looked a lot like Tails, but it had pale yellow fur, icy blue eyes, burning with ambition, and a greyish black, greaser hairstyle. The robot face went neutral and the optics faded to black as the fox gave an evil grin. To say that Optimus was disgusted would be an understatement.

“Primus!” he gulped as he held back his Energon. “It looks like you skinned me and made a suit out of me! What possessed you to do that?! Where are you from where that’s okay?!”

“Glad you asked,” replied the Tails lookalike. “I’ve always wanted to recount this thrilling tale. To answer your last question first, I come from a parallel world. You might call it ‘opposite land’. In my home universe, my Sonic, though he called himself Scourge, had effectively conquered my Mobius, ‘Moebius’, as it’s called. That reign was brief as Scourge was brought to a multiversal jail by Sonic. Through my puppet, Alicia Acorn, I had taken over in Scourge’s stead. Somehow, Scourge broke out and returned home to try and wrest power from my grasp. It was then that my universe’s Jazz had landed on Moebius. Unlike you, my universe’s Cybertron was in a 4-million-year peace between the planet’s two major factions, the ambitious Autonomous Robotic organisms, and the intellectually minded Deceptive Constructs. The Autobots were simply trying to expand Cybertronian reach, but the Decepticons wanted no part of it. They believe that the ends must only be justified by diplomatic means. Weaklings, all of them! They turn their heads from the truth! Power is all that matters! The end results always justify the means of achieving said results! If there are idiots to stand in your way, brush them aside like meddlesome fleas!

“So, in your universe,” simplified Optimus, “the Decepticons are liars because they seek peace? How is peace a lie?”

“Because those that seek peace are simply burying their head in the sand so they can’t see the truth!” snarled Miles. “Conquest and Power are what shape civilizations!”

“I must disagree,” remarked Optimus.

“Bah!” dismissed Miles. “At least, before his Ember was snuffed out, my universe’s Optimus had ambitions that reached to the ends of my universe! Anyway, I digress. The peace between the Autobots and Decepticons was chafing to Optimus, so he sent Jazz to scout out a potential planet he could convert into his stronghold. Once Jazz caught sight of us, he said that the planet will be easy pickings. That’s when Optimus gathered more troops. Prowl, Ratchet, Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper, they all accompanied Optimus, thus their campaign began. My ‘friends’ and I were the last line of defense. It was a tough battle, but, bravely, I faced the Autobots.” Liar, he was running scared. “I lured them deep into our fortress,” another lie, he didn’t know where he was going in his panic, “into a secret chamber with something I had hoped would be there,” half-truth, he hoped he would find that something, but he didn’t know it would be there, he just tripped over the something which proved to be, “a weapon capable of piercing Cybertronian steel. In fact, it pierced this body that I now control. The Autobots couldn’t believe that such a weapon exists and so, they fled. In the chaos that followed, Scourge had written me off as dead. His error, my gain. With the ruins of our last fortress all to myself, I had dissected this body and discovered genetic code woven into the metal. I then came up with a theory. If an organic had been grafted into the Transformer, it would gain the power of said Transformer. I set to work grafting myself into the slain Optimus and gained not only control of his body, but it also gave me some of his memories and his connection to the Grid of Domination, the opposite of your Matrix of Leadership.

“If that’s true, you must have gained our weaknesses as well,” guessed Optimus.

“Yes, like all other Transformers,” sighed Miles, “I short out after continued exposure to excessive amounts of Energon radiation. In any case, once I had completed all final checks, I visited the Autobots, showed them who was boss, and led an assault on my former comrades. None survived, even the mighty Scourge the Hedgehog became a bloody grease spot under my heel. The Autobots were about to rejoice that the planet would be theirs, until I set them straight. They wanted to conquer the universe in the long run, an ambitious goal, but then I revealed to them that one universe is too small in the grand scheme of things. I told them of my previous exploits in this universe and said to them ‘Why rule just one universe when the multiverse is our playground?’ Some were slow in the head, but soon they caught on. And with that proclamation, I made myself the very nemesis of the multiverse!

“So, what should I call you?” asked Optimus. “Nemesis Prime?” The chest panels and vehicle mode canopy slid back into place as Miles snarled. The lights in the optics turned back on and the newly christened Nemesis Prime started roaring.

“BE QUIET, YOU INSUBORDINATE PIECE OF MALFUNCTIONING GARBAGE!” he shouted. “EVERY TIME YOU OPEN YOUR MAW, IT SOUNDS LIKE A CAT IS DYING! HOW ANYONE CAN BEAR TO FOLLOW YOUR SHRIEKING, MEWLING NONSENSE IS BEYOND EVEN MY SUPERIOR COMPREHENSION!”

“No, please, go on, tell me how you really feel,” joked Optimus. Nemesis then grabbed him by the throat and started squeezing.

“What I feel,” he growled, “is nothing but rage every time I look at you! I want to cut that chest of yours open, just to hear you scream as I dissect you to see how similar you are to this frame!”

“Why don’t…you just…do it?!” choked Optimus.

“Oh, I shall,” replied Nemesis. He then released Optimus’ neck. “Not yet, though. We still have some unfinished business.” Optimus stared at Nemesis for a while.

“Go shove an electromagnet up your exhaust port,” he hissed.

“I never said that you had to cooperate,” chuckled Nemesis. “You see, even with my newfound perspective of life, there is still something I cannot understand, nor combat against, magic. I’ve learned how to access the axe, but I can’t find the access port to the part of my subspace pocket that holds the gun. Which access port is it?”

“Like I said,” remarked Optimus, “electromagnet. Up the aft. They’re magic pockets; you’ll get it when you need it.” He then grinned. “I loved that game when I was 42 in human years!”

“Then it looks like I have to do this the old fashioned way,” sighed Nemesis as he opened a panel on the back of his wrist. He then took a cord out and plugged it into Optimus’ forehead. A brief spasm of pain jolted through Optimus. “I’ve manually entered your memory core,” explained Nemesis. “I’ve already seen the file I needed and now I need to compare it with this frame’s memories. They fragmented when he went offline. Accessing subspace port 1.” He put his hand into the subspace pocket. “Negative results. Accessing subspace port 2. Negative results. Accessing subspace port 3.” Optimus felt he was going to be there for a while, so he called up his internal video library.

* * *

“Accessing subspace port 107. Negative results,” hissed Nemesis. He then whirled to Optimus. “Will you turn that infernal thing down?! I can’t even understand what they’re saying!”

“Get Rosetta Stone,” remarked Optimus as he mentally paused the video he was watching. “You’ll learn Japanese in a flash.” He was watching _Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger_ , which was adapted to be _Power Rangers: Dino Charge_ and _Power Rangers: Dino Super Charge_. He was on the episode where the ninth member of the Kyoryugers had revealed himself. He resumed playing the episode.

“Watch out!” warned the Red Kyoryuger, Daigo Kiryu, to the old man, Doctor Ulshade, up on the roof of a building. “Run away, Doctor!”

“Run?” asked Doctor Ulshade. He then chuckled. “You should say that to the enemy, Daigocchi!” He then flexed his, admittedly, impressive muscles. The rest of the Kyoryugers gawked under their helmets.

“No way!” breathed the Blue Kyoryuger, Nobuharu Udo.

“Let me show you,” called Doctor Ulshade as he gripped his dinosaur themed gun, the Gaburevolver, “my magnificent transformation!” He then took out a purple battery with the number 9 on it and a white image of a Plesiosaur. “Brave in!” he said as he pressed a button on the battery, turning the dinosaur image from white to purple. He then put the battery into the gun and put his left hand on top, shouting “GABURINCHO! PLEZUON!” Then he pressed down on the gun, making the teeth on the side come together. The gun then repeated what the doctor said. He then pointed the gun into the air, near his head, with the chamber facing out. “Kyoryu Change!” he announced as he spun the chamber. Samba music then started playing as he danced for a bit, then he spun on his feet, pointed the gun into the air and shouted “FIRE!” When he pulled the trigger, a holographic, robotic, purple plesiosaur head came out of the gun and flew around the doctor before chomping on him to form his suit and chomping on his head to form the helmet. The rest of the Sentai gawked and oohed and aahed at the change. The new purple Kyoryuger then jumped down from the building and landed on his feet. “The seas of Earth are my seas!” declared the doctor. “The seas of space are also my seas! The Oceanic Brave! KYORYU...,” the backdrop then fell behind him. “Huh? Crap.” He then recovered and finished. “VIOLET!”

“Aha!” cheered Nemesis Prime. Optimus then paused the video again. “Subspace port 123! Positive results!” Nemesis Prime then fished out the gun he was looking for. He disconnected from Optimus. “Now,” he chuckled as he leveled the gun, “I have no further need of you.”

“Just wait a sec,” called Optimus. “Mind if I tell you something?” Nemesis smirked.

“Why not?” he chuckled. “Go ahead.”

“Next time you wanna tie someone up,” suggested Optimus as he pulled out his own gun, “tie up more than their feet.” He then shot at the restraints and he came crashing to the floor. “Ow,” he winced before picking himself up. Nemesis just smirked.

“You wouldn’t dare shoot in here,” he boasted. “It might cause an explosion.”

“You’re right,” replied Optimus. “However,” he then got Nemesis in a bear hug and pointed his gun at the ceiling, “I’ve no qualms taking this outside.” He fired at the ceiling. “Prime jets, ON!” he announced. They launched into the air and Optimus threw Nemesis into the ground. Optimus then shook his rear at Nemesis.

“Will you stop messing around like you’re some masked hero?!” snapped Nemesis.

“Funny you should mention ‘Masked Hero’,” called a voice. Both Primes turned to see Jazz grooving his way up. He had something in his right hand. It was grey, had four slots with a monitor in the middle, red tab switches on the outside of the slots, and a handle on the right side.

“Jazz!” cheered Optimus.

“Oh sweet Anarchy!” hissed Nemesis. “The Jazz of this universe is from ‘da hood’.”

“Wow, stereotyping much?” muttered Jazz. “I just thought the ‘black’ voice sounded cool. In any case,” he held the device up, “it’s time to give the Fourze Driver a try.” He then took out small devices and put them into the four slots. The Driver announced them as they were inserted.

“Chain Array, Beat, Gatling, Shield,” it announced. Jazz then put it on the front of his waist, letting it attach to him, and flicked the little red switches. The monitor showed a humanoid image with a shuttle themed helmet. The Driver started counting. “Three,” it called as Jazz gripped the handle. “Two,” it declared as Jazz got his feet in a ready stance. “One!” it counted as Jazz crossed his left arm in front.

“Henshin!” he announced. He then pulled the handle and then thrust his right hand into the air as his helmet changed from his usual Praxian style to a shuttle themed one with glowing, orange insect eyes. “Uchū KITAAAA!” shouted Jazz under the helmet as he thrust his arms into the air.

“Translation:” replied Optimus, “Space is here! And ‘henshin’ means ‘transform’.”

“THE HELL?!” yelped Nemesis as his view on logic was thrown out the window.

“Jazz is a huge fan of the _Kamen Rider_ franchise,” explained Optimus, “and I’m a fan of Super Sentai. On his 124th Forge Day, that’s about 148.12 in Mobius years, I gave him a little gift; a magically altered toy Fourze Driver. I used a spell to let the representation of the object become the actual object.” Nemesis just glared. “You said you wanted to see magic, well, Jazz is wearing something that’s magically charged.”

“And now,” cheered Jazz, “I’m playing Kamen Rider Fourze. Let’s do this Mech to Mech!” He then flicked the Beat Switch.

“Beat on!” announced the Driver. A red set of speakers appeared around his right leg. Jazz then started dancing and singing to Michael Jackson’s Bad. As his foot hit the ground, the speakers produced sonic waves that were deafening. Nemesis held his hands to his ears.

“What’s the matter? Only like medieval music?” taunted Jazz. “Fine, we’ll go with shield and mace.” Jazz switched Beat off and turned on Chain Array and Shield.

“Chain Array, on! Shield, on!” called the driver. Jazz swung the ball and it struck Nemesis right in the chest. He looked winded. He could feel a sense of smarminess from Jazz.

“You think this is funny?!” he snarled.

“Well…” mused Jazz.

“YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?! IT’S NOT FUNNY…unlike your face,” chuckled Nemesis. He then revealed a chassis that was undented. Jazz was confused and started swinging the ball around right into Nemesis’ sides. Nemesis started laughing. He then drew out his own axe and combined the handles to make the staff. “Say goodbye to existence!” shouted Nemesis as he swung the axe into Jazz’s sides. The transformation was cancelled as Jazz’s helmet went back to normal. He started clutching his Energon leaking sides. Optimus called for Ratchet, who arrived on the scene with the other Autobots and G.U.N. Ratchet dealt with Jazz, who was, rightfully, going on about how the black guy always gets shafted in these kinds of situations.

“That was a mistake!” snarled Ironhide. He charged at Nemesis but was promptly stopped with a right hook to his jaw. He was quickly knocked out. Bumblebee and Cliffjumper tried an attack which had Bumblebee in the air and Cliffjumper on the ground, but a stamp of Nemesis’ foot launched Cliffjumper into Bumblebee. Prowl tried the Taser that was built into his hand, but Nemesis sent the current back to him. He then flung Ironhide, Prowl, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper into Ratchet and Jazz. The impact caused Jazz to go into emergency stasis so he could be spared until his wounds were healed. The only bot that wasn’t unconscious was Optimus.

“Pathetic,” sighed Nemesis. “You spend every waking moment distracting yourself from true power that’s right outside your door by bothering to fight for these ants! You want reality? Here it is! You will die! By my hands! By these very weapons! Death…at the hands of a superior being.”

“Wow,” griped Optimus, “egotistical much? Besides, you haven’t seen me at my peak.”

“And, that concerns me, how?” asked Nemesis.

“Well, you said you killed my double too quickly and Sonic’s double died under your foot,” remarked Optimus. “I would have figured you would want to play with your prey.” Nemesis arched an eyebrow.

“You know, the thing is, I know you’re playing me,” he grinned, “but, you’re right. Let’s see your peak.”

“Trust me, Nemesis Prime, great things are about to happen,” assured Optimus. He then got into a ready stance. He then started humming. Nemesis arched an eyebrow. His annoyance grew. Prowl soon woke up.

“Prowl,” hissed Teletraan in a soft whisper, “can you fix Jazz? Optimus has a plan to throw Nemesis back into his universe. I had some help with Tails to tune the Ground Bridge to reach other universes, but Optimus can’t command Nemesis to drop his weapons without help.”

“So it IS processor over matter,” mused Prowl. “If it’s a Cyber Ninja he needs, I can fill the part.” He sat Japanese style and started humming.

“And now the police bot hums!” snarled Nemesis as he drew his gun. He was about to fire, but his trigger finger wouldn’t respond. Suddenly, his grip was slowly loosening! He tried to regain control, but it was no use! “What’s…happening?!” strained Nemesis Prime. Prowl paused in his humming to explain.

“I’m sure you are familiar with processor over matter,” he answered. “It’s actually easy when you’ve mastered it.”

“You…idiot!” gasped Nemesis as the gun fell. “Now… you won’t…know…true power!”

“Maybe, but you’re a bit of a jackhole,” replied Prowl. “Teletraan, Optimus and I can’t hold him for much longer!”

“Found his universe!” called Teletraan.

“Who’s…Teletraan?!” asked Nemesis. Optimus then stopped humming.

“Are you telling me you don’t have an artificial intelligence?” he quizzed.

“No!” said Nemesis. That’s when a portal opened behind him.

“Pity,” sighed Optimus, “you might have won with an A.I.” He charged at Nemesis, picked him up, and tossed him into the portal. Teletraan quickly closed it. Optimus let himself fall.

* * *

The Autobots soon woke up in an empty storage barn with technicians working on them. Prowl was the first one up and soon got everyone awake. Once they were given final checks, Optimus explained to Sonic and his friends who Nemesis was. “Scourge is…dead?” gulped Sonic.

“My evil double too,” mumbled Amy as she hugged Sonic’s arm, the fake bloodstains on her dress getting onto him. Sonic didn’t notice. Tails felt sick.

“I can’t believe he did that,” he gagged. “Miles could have been something more than a new evil person.”

“Let’s not dwell on him too long,” suggested Optimus. “Now that we’ve dealt with him, things should go smoothly for the party.”

“You’re still on about that?!” snarled Shadow.

“I think that keeping the party going would be good for morale,” replied Prowl. Optimus and Amy looked at him quizzically. “In the past, I might have turned my nose up at Halloween, but I see why it’s celebrated. It’s to look at fear right in the face, and have fun, despite it being there.” Optimus grinned. Amy gave a smile. They then gave each other a thumbs-up.

“Okay guys, you’re clear to go,” answered a technician. Optimus led everyone back to the Command Center and took the stage.

“Humans, Mobians, and Autobots,” he began, “I think this whole incident has proved one of many things we have in common; we all can laugh in the face of danger. Evil was about to tear us down and laugh as it did, so what did we do? We laughed at it. We all knew that it’s impossible to surrender to evil if we all can see our goal and see how to achieve it. Evil feeds on giving up, so we just starve it by persevering and continuing to be merry with each other. That’s what this holiday is about, and that’s what N.E.S.T. was built on this past year. Here’s to many more years of working together.” There was applause and cheering at that message. It was short and sweet, and it was awesome. “Now,” continued Optimus, “let’s have some fun! Jazz, music please!”

“ _Thriller_ , coming up!” called Jazz. As the music of the King of Pop played, the party got underway. Happy Halloween, my friends!

* * *

Epilogue: Moebius.

“So I’m about a hairs’ breadth from killing Optimus,” snarled Nemesis to himself as he stomped around the forest of his home, “then that universe’s Jazz shows up and decides, ‘I’m just gonna play Japanese superhero!’ Then Optimus fakes me out with that humming. Apparently, that’s part of a Cyber Ninja’s arsenal! Gotta look into that later! But, at the very top of this long list of stupid questions is HOW DID I LOSE?! I HAD EVERYTHING! OPTIMUS PRIME, I SHALL SEE YOU FALL!”


	4. Chapter 4

At G.U.N, in a room specially designed for the Autobots, Shadow tapped his foot repeatedly. Irritation crossed his features. “Losing your temper?’ chuckled a familiar, sultry voice.

“This whole thing is absurd!” snarled Shadow.

“What’s absurd?” asked Rouge as she flew down from an upper gantry.

“This!” snapped Shadow. “The Transformers! Our treaty! A warship above our heads!”

“It’s an Autobot ship,” assured Rouge. “They’re the good guys, remember?”

“Yeah, good guys led by a kid!” argued Shadow.

“They have given us results,” countered Rouge.

“Rouge, Optimus is a child, plain and simple,” hissed Shadow.

“A child that’s a powerful ally,” remarked Rouge.

“If you two are finished,” said a voice. Shadow and Rouge turned to see Jazz standing in the doorway. They arched an eye ridge.

“Where’s Optimus?” grunted Shadow.

“I didn’t get much of a clear picture,” replied Jazz, “but he mentioned something about Sonic, a 24 chili dog lunch, his vehicle mode’s cockpit, and a full detailing.”

“Apparently, the faker’s never heard of a napkin,” sighed Shadow.

“So, what’s up?” asked Jazz. “I assume there’s a reason for a meeting.”

“We’ve found another Chaos Emerald,” replied Rouge.

“Another one?!” cheered Jazz. “All right!”

“However,” interjected Shadow, “it’s being misused.”

“Not so all right, then,” winced Jazz. “Have we got I.D. on the misuser?”

“Yes, but not anything current,” reported Shadow. He then pulled up the files on the mystery emerald abuser. It was a 50 something year old man, pretty muscular, military haircut, square-cut beard, and dressed in red. “He’s called Captain Aaron Witwicky of the United States Air Force. Before the planet’s previous countries collapsed, Captain Witwicky had experienced PTSD after a war between the U.S. and China had leveled both countries and brought them to a standstill in 2786. The reason was because his wife and children were killed by U.S. soldiers firing on anyone in a panic after the battle of Hong Kong was going south. An uneasy peace was signed, but Captain Witwicky refused to accept it. He wasn’t the biggest fan of technology and sought out to learn magic.”

“He did realize that all civilizations on this planet were built on technology, right?” asked Jazz.

“He said that it was a mistake,” clarified Rouge. “He sought out help from a witch and found that there were four main divisions of magically inclined people on this planet.”

“Just like Cybertron,” muttered Jazz. “Is that a universal constant?”

“Anyway,” grunted Shadow, annoyed that they drifted off topic, “he felt that the only way to get to his wife and children was to start a war without technology. So he stirred the pot a bit with the other orders and soon sparked a war. It became the War of Four Orders.”

“That war wasn’t confined to this planet,” revealed Jazz. “Optimus is a fledgling wizard of the Red Order and a history nut. From what he’s researched, the war lasted for a thousand of your years across the universe. After it died, most magically-inclined people went into hiding, even from planets whose cultures were heavily reliant on magic.” An oddity then crossed Jazz’s mind. “Wait, shouldn’t he be dead? He looks to be in his 50’s. If he’s from the later part of the 28th century, then he should be in a grave by now.”

“Some sort of age lock spell, we believe,” mused Shadow. “And a long life spell. That, or a good means of cellular and mental stasis.”

“Any idea what color Chaos Emerald he’s using?” asked Jazz. “There are only four Chaos Emeralds accounted for. You guys have green, we have red, Sonic and his team have Cyan, and Shockwave has purple.”

“That does leave blue, yellow, and white unaccounted for,” answered Rouge, “but we have no idea what the color is. We only know it’s a Chaos Emerald because of the energy frequency all emeralds emit.”

“I guess we’ll find out when we meet him,” mused Jazz. “Any patterns to his attacks?”

“Not attacks, per se,” corrected Rouge, “but more along the lines of vandalism. He and his men teleport in with Chaos Control, draw some graffiti, and then move on to the next location.”

“So, guerrilla vandalism, then,” guessed a voice. Everyone jumped and whirled to see the Scarlet Specter leaning against the wall.

“How long were you…?” stammered Jazz.

“The entire briefing,” replied the Specter. “Many a witch and wizard has heard of Captain Witwicky. Practically no one wants to meet him because he’s dragged magically inclined people through the mud with that war of his.”

“So that’s why we don’t hear about magic people,” grunted Shadow. “This guy put you guys in a bad light for a long time.”

“And the work to clear our name is slow,” continued the Specter. “There’s still a negative connotation with magic.”

“Hold up,” interjected Shadow. He then turned to the main monitor which was displaying more vandalism by Witwicky’s men. The interesting thing was that it now had a Transformer sized, green man there.

“A Nebulan!” gasped Jazz.

“A what now?” asked Shadow.

“A Nebulan,” replied Jazz, “from the planet, Nebulos. A warrior race. This kind of petty vandalism should be beneath them.”

“And our people haven’t spoken with them since the war ended,” called a voice.

“Oddly enough,” remarked the Specter, “that’s not the first Nebulan I’ve met.”

“You know of another Nebulan?” asked the voice.

“Yes,” answered the Specter. “One of my teachers is a Nebulan, a witch of the green order.”

“Nature, huh?” mused the voice. “I gotta meet her.”

“She’s a nice lady…,” the Specter’s voice trailed off. “Wait, who’s saying that?”

“It’s coming from behind us,” replied Jazz. They all glanced around the room. Then they heard laughter. They turned to the source of the laughter to see a certain Prime shimmer into view. He was squatting and pointing at the group.

“The looks on your faces are priceless!” he cackled. “Although, I can only assume Miss Specter’s face is similar to yours.”

“How long…?” gasped Rouge.

“When Shadow was griping about me earlier,” explained Optimus as he stood up. “My detailing was done quickly. Turns out, while his eating habits are gross, Sonic leaves a smaller mess then I thought. Jazz is right, though, he never uses a napkin.” He then turned to the files on Witwicky. “I’d say it’s Mora Mortem, suspending any and all decay in the body as you sleep. To sleep that long he most likely used Multo Sopor, putting the caster in a sleep that he had originally specified when casting it.”

“How do you…?” quizzed Rouge.

“Observation is a standard fare for someone that’s magically inclined,” explained the Specter. “There is something Optimus missed.”

“What’s that?” inquired Optimus.

“Custodientes Imperium,” answered the Specter. Optimus then smacked his head.

“Oh, yeah,” he realized, “he’d lose a lot of magic energy when sleeping that long, on top of casting those spells. He must have used Custodientes Imperium to keep his energy reserves at acceptable levels.”

“I will tell the other witches and wizards of this,” declared the Specter. “We don’t need another war setting us back. He’s most likely under the impression that the war still continues.”

“Good thinking,” praised Optimus. The Scarlet Specter curtsied, then left via red smoke. Optimus then turned to Jazz. “Jazz, get Prowl to patrol the city with the rest of the police. We need them to keep all citizens safe when we engage Captain Witwicky. Get Sonic in on this as well. This may need Teams Sonic and Dark.”

“With respect,” rumbled Shadow, “what little I have for the blue annoyance, Team Dark can handle one man.”

“I can’t run the risk when magic is involved,” insisted Optimus.

“What risk?” hissed Shadow. “At worst, you guys will shout mumbo jumbo and shoot sparks at each other.” Optimus hmphed and walked out like Amy would if she’s annoyed.

“Insulting magic, are we?” asked Jazz. “Dude, I’ve seen how powerful magic duels are. On my first mission as a Guardian Cadet, I saw two Decepticons locked in a magic duel. I don’t know what caused it, but they nearly leveled the Decepticon Capital City of Kaon. All I heard was if they should join a bot named ‘Megatron’ or not.”

“In any case, G.U.N. will be on standby when things go south,” replied Shadow.

“IF things go south,” remarked Jazz.

“Trust me, they will,” insisted Shadow.


	5. Chapter 5

Optimus was flying through the skies in vehicle mode, just doing his job. Oh, sorry, not as Prime, no, he’s always doing it. I was referring to his Mobian job. It dawned on the Autobots that the people of Mobius won’t accept Cybertronian currency, so they got themselves some jobs so they can stay at the base and not have to mooch off G.U.N. funding. Prowl joined the local police force. Jazz returned to Dancitron, and business picked back up. Ratchet was hired by a hospital as a doctor after he passed the necessary exams with flying colors. Ironhide worked at a shooting range near the police station Prowl worked at. Bumblebee and Cliffjumper became pizza toppers at a pizza joint. Optimus got into trucking. To do his job, Tails had found some Cybertronian tech which works as a subspace trailer that pops up whenever Optimus needs it. Right now, he was hauling some nitrous oxide for a major dental office. He was still concentrating on the sky lanes, but Shadow’s remark about magic was still playing in his mind. “Sparks and mumbo jumbo!” he hissed in an imitation of Shadow’s voice. “Yeah, right! You saw the Scarlet Specter, didn’t you?! What are your powers even classified as if they’re not magic?!”

“Grand Prime Rig,” called a voice over his radio, “this here’s dispatch. We got ourselves another voice squawkin’, wantin’ to give you the low down on somethin’ huge.” Optimus rolled his holo-form’s eyes. He made the call two-way.

“Teletraan, that was awful,” he replied.

“But not inaccurate,” remarked Teletraan.

“You didn’t even use any C.B. code!” protested Optimus.

“I never practiced, okay!” snapped Teletraan.

“What’s this ‘something huge’ you wanted to talk about?” quizzed Optimus.

“Oddly enough,” answered Teletraan, “a green Mobian rabbit wanted to talk to you. Before you ask, I don’t know how she found the base. As I was trying to find the breach, she said she wanted to meet you in the downtown area.”

“That security breach is disconcerting,” muttered Optimus as he landed near the dental office. “I’ll talk to the rabbit. You find that breach and plug it up. I don’t want Shockwave or Eggman getting to our intel.”

“Yes, Sir!” obliged Teletraan. Once the call ended, Optimus helped the other dentists with safely unloading the laughing gas. Optimus then asked the dentist helping unload the trailer what the gas is used for.

“Mainly for anesthetic when there’s major dental work going on,” explained the dentist.

“You make your patients laugh when there’s a root canal going on?” mumbled Optimus. “I know I shouldn’t say this, but your planet’s customs are strange.”

“I’m sure I’d say the same if I were on your planet,” countered the dentist.

“In any case,” replied Optimus as he got a canister out, “this is the last one.”

“Thanks, Prime!” bid the dentist. Optimus nodded farewell, made the trailer disappear, and took off to the downtown area after telling his dispatch that the delivery was a success. Once he arrived, he saw Trema in her Mobian disguise.

“You must be the rabbit that gave my A.I. a security scare,” mused Optimus.

“Sorry about that,” apologized Trema. “A friend gave me clearance.”

“Who?” asked Optimus as he arched an eyebrow.

“Well,” stammered Trema, “in the interests of…”

“Master Trema,” called the Scarlet Specter’s voice, “enough. He’s going to know eventually.” The Scarlet Specter stepped out of an alley.

“It’s too soon!” protested Trema.

“Trema?” repeated Optimus. “That’s a common Nebulan name for girls.”

“Crap,” swore Trema.

“He needs to know,” replied the Specter as her hands went for the mask and hair. When they were pulled off, Optimus’ eyes went wide when he saw Amy’s face.

“AMY?!” he squawked.

“Not so loud!” yelped Amy as she quickly put the wig and mask back on.

“Wait, what’s going on?!” demanded Optimus. “Amy, are you the reason Ms. Trema managed to get through Autobase Omega 1’s security?” Amy shuffled her feet. Optimus sighed. “Amy, we may be friends, but the Autobots are still a military group. You can’t give access to our base to just anyone. Teletraan had a bit of a scare. He was convinced it was Eggman trying to steal our secrets, at worst, Shockwave. Any more requests to give your friends access needs to be cleared with me. Are we clear?”

“…Yes, Prime,” mumbled Amy.

“Good,” replied Optimus. He then turned to Trema. “Ma’am, I’m going to need you to surrender your access to my base as this whole thing needs to be secret.”

“Oh,” groaned Trema, “very well.” She gave Optimus her access card and Optimus put it in his pocket.

“Now, with that cleared up,” declared Optimus, “what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“It’s about the Nebulan graffiti,” answered Trema. “Amy showed me what it looked like through her memories and I swear the handwriting looks familiar to me.”

“Can you translate it?” asked Optimus. “My omni-linguistics can’t pick up on that chicken scratch.”

“Let’s see,” muttered Trema as she made a magic image of the graffiti. Nebulan writing is read from the top right corner to the bottom left corner, on a diagonal. “… ‘Come and get me you bucket of…blots?’ Oh! Bolts!”

“It’s directed to the Autobots?” asked Amy.

“Why would a Nebulan bother with defacing a billboard?” quizzed Optimus. “And who on Nebulos doesn’t know how to spell bolts?”

“Well, there was my brother, Krunk,” mused Trema, “but he’s in prison right now.”

“Guys, shh!” hissed Amy. “I think I hear something.” The conversation stopped as all auditory input, both technological and otherwise, were dialed up to maximum. Optimus guessed where the sound was coming from. It was in the alley Amy had come out. Trema led the way. They looked up the building wall to find more graffiti. Optimus started reading it.

“‘Autobots smell like…’ okay, that’s just rude!” he protested. Then they heard the noise again. They turned to see a Nebulan man in red robes spraying the wall in writing. Trema’s eyes went wide as she recognized the Nebulan. She then dropped the Mobian disguise and grew to her full height.

“Hey! Krunk!” she shouted. The Nebulan turned, his eyes popped, and to finish the awkward silence, he threw a fireball at the ground before taking off in flight. Amy closed her fist and put out the flames while Trema took a broom as tall as her out of subspace. She hopped on and zoomed after Krunk. Optimus flew off after her in vehicle mode and Amy turned into a cloud of red mist and tailed Optimus. Optimus switched on his comms to all Autobots.

“All Autobots, take notice,” called Optimus, “A couple of witches and I are in pursuit of a Nebulan wizard of the Red Order! We’re en-route to the city limits! He is in the air and we need him down!”

“This is Prowl, message received!”

“Ratchet, on the way!”

“Ironhide, ready to kick kiester!”

“Bumblebee, reporting!”

“Cliffjumper, I have visual!”

“Jazz, on your six and contacting G.U.N.!”

“All right,” declared Optimus, “let’s roll out!” The chase was on! Jazz and Bumblebee flanked Krunk on the left while Ironhide and Prowl flanked him on the right. Optimus and Cliffjumper took the middle while Amy, Trema, and Ratchet stayed above him. The formation tightened and went lower, much to Krunk’s annoyance. He shot fireballs at them, but to no avail. Suddenly, a pair of high speed, spherical, and organic projectiles hit him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. The projectiles unfurled to reveal Sonic and Shadow. “I have GOT to learn how to do that,” thought Optimus as he and the other Autobots transformed and landed near Krunk. Optimus then spoke in guttural tones to Krunk, who responded back in less than flattering phrases.

“Well, aren’t you rude!” snarled Prowl.

“What did he say?” asked Sonic.

“He just called Optimus the close relative of a scraplet!” translated Jazz. Krunk then gave a Bronx Cheer.

“Okay, that’s universal,” growled Shadow.

“What are you doing on this planet? You’re supposed to be in prison!” snapped Trema in the Nebulan language.

“Like I’d tell you!” growled Krunk in the same language. He then launched a fireball toward her, which the Specter, Amy, blocked. The impact, unfortunately, knocked the hat, wig, and helmet off. The assembled team, bar Optimus and Trema, gawked at Amy’s reveal.

“I’ll explain later!” assured Amy as she cast a bolt of lightning. Krunk sent it towards Optimus, who directed it up and away from the city. The technique surprised Amy. Prime was a young bot. As such, he shouldn’t know how to redirect lightning yet. She still hadn’t mastered it! Krunk then twirled his wand in his fingers and teleported behind Optimus to spray writing on him. He then knocked Optimus down and ran away with Amy and the Autobots in hot pursuit while Trema helped Optimus up.

“What did Krunk write on me?!” he yelped.

“Nothing I wish to repeat in polite company,” was Trema’s response. Optimus decided not to pursue the matter and decided to pursue Krunk. He went with a flying kick to his back and knocked Krunk down again. Krunk then spun around and grabbed Optimus’ face. He tossed him towards Amy, who threw up a barrier before blacking out from the immediate strain.

“All right, Krunk,” called a voice, “let others have their turn with the metal men.” A red cloud then coalesced to become the infamous Captain Aaron Witwicky. “You creatures of metal and those of the other Magic Orders may bow before your new magic king.”

“And, suppose we don’t play along?” asked Prowl. Aaron smirked and threw a fireball at the Autobots. Amy leapt up and knocked it aside. Since she and Aaron were of the same order, it was easy. To say that Aaron was thrown for a loop would be an understatement.

“What?” he hissed. “What is this?!”

“Captain Witwicky, are you out of your mind?!” snapped Amy. “Drop your wand at once!”

“What treachery is this?!” he snarled. “By whose authority?!”

“I am Amy Rose, the Scarlet Specter,” proclaimed Amy. “And it’s you committing treason by firing on innocent people!”

“These low-lives worship machinery!” argued Witwicky. “This war shall elevate the universe to a new height!”

“You flaming dolt!” insulted Amy. “Hasn’t it occurred to you that that futile war is over in this age?”

“Amy!” warned Trema.

“Over?!” shouted Aaron. “What do you mean?!”

“She means that all Orders are at peace,” explained Trema.

“Lies! All lies from a naïve fledgling!” dismissed Aaron.

“That’s no lie, I can assure you,” replied Optimus.

“It’s…over?!” hissed Aaron. “A glorious war…without technology…that I started…,” a dangerous red light started gathering around him, “…IS OVER?!” The light came with something solid as it expanded and knocked everyone off their feet.


	6. Chapter 6

Jazz was the first to get up as he got something out of his subspace pocket. It was a black, rectangular device with blue highlights and three slots for a circular object to fit in. He put the device to his waist so it could form a belt. A circular device appeared at his right while a cylinder appeared at his left. Jazz then fished out three coins from his subspace. They were colored differently and had an animal design on them. The red coin with a hawk went into the right slot, the yellow one with a tiger went in the middle slot, and the green on with a grasshopper went in the left slot. He then tilted the device at an angle to his left foot. He grabbed the circular device on his right and slid it across the tilted coin holder from right to left. “Henshin!” he called. The belt then spoke.

“TAKA! TORA! BATTA!” it announced as images of the coins appeared from top to bottom. “Tatoba! Tatoba, Tatoba!” it sang as the images combined into one and moved to his chest. His paint job went black and his helmet changed to look like a red hawk in flight with green insect eyes. The arms and shoulders gained yellow highlights and a set of folded back claws. The legs gained green highlights. Jazz spun around on his feet before pointing at Aaron.

“Shall we?” he asked.

“I felt magic when you changed!” yelped Aaron.

“Yeah, well,” mused Jazz, “I ain’t the wizard that made this thing the real OOO Driver. Let’s just say that a friend helped me in that regard.” Aaron scoffed.

“I’ll find that friend of yours and turn him into ash,” he declared. “Ut Gigans!” He grew to Jazz’s height. Jazz had seen the spell in action before, so he wasn’t totally surprised.

“You’ll have to get through me first,” taunted Jazz. “I’ve got the eyes of a hawk, the strength of a tiger, and the jumping power of a grasshopper. On top of that, I don’t think punching metal would be a good idea, even at your current size.”

“An oversight to be corrected,” snapped Aaron. “Dura Cutis!” His skin turned into metal.

“And there goes that advantage,” sighed Jazz. He shrugged, then charged at Aaron. The claws folded forward as he made a slashing attack. He then swiped the OOO Scanner across the belt again.

“SCANNING CHARGE!” called the belt. Jazz then leapt into the air and made a diving kick with both of his legs. He gave of the original OOO’s battle cry of “Seiya!” as he made the kick connect. It made a scratch on Aaron, who laughed.

“Do you wish to continue this dance of futility?” he asked.

“I’m gonna have to go stag on that,” joked Jazz as he pulled out a green medal with a stag beetle design on it. He swapped it for the hawk medal and swiped the scanner again.

“KUWAGATA! TORA! BATTA!” called the belt. The helmet changed to a green one with stag beetle horns and orange eyes. The top of the image on his chest went from red hawk to green stag beetle. Jazz then started projecting lighting from the horns, until Aaron seemed to take it into his hands and threw it at a car in the air. Thankfully, Jazz caught it in time. He tore out some pavement and tossed it at Aaron. Once the people inside the car had gotten out, Jazz turned to Aaron.

“All right,” he snarled as he took out another green medal, this one with a mantis design, “start praying, boy!” He swapped it with the tiger medal and once again ran the scanner over the belt.

“KUWAGATA! KAMAKIRI! BATTA!” announced the belt “Gata-Gata-Gatakiriba! Gatakiriba!” Jazz then gave off a roar and multiplied himself to become an army of 100! Aaron smirked.

“That’s supposed to intimidate me?” he asked “Et Multiplicabo Centum!” That was the spell that allowed him to multiply to the number he specified. His army lined up. “Are you all familiar with the plan?!” he shouted to his clones.

“SIR! YES, SIR!” confirmed his clones.

“Then, CHARGE!” he shouted. The army of Aaron clashed with the army of Gatakiriba Jazz. The battle was evenly matched with the two one man armies, until one of the Aaron clones took off one of the Jazz’s OOO Driver. It turned him back into Jazz.

“What the?” yelped the now de-transformed Jazz clone. The others saw it.

“That never happened in the show!” cried another Jazz clone. That was the opening that specific Aaron clone was looking for and it punched through the Jazz clone. It disappeared in a pained scream.

“DON’T LET UP!” shouted the original Jazz. Easier said than done, the Jazz army was getting slaughtered! With all the versions of Jazz screaming in agony before they faded away, Jazz had to pull back 9 other versions of himself so they could fight later.

“COWARD!” roared Aaron. “That’s just like you machines! You flee the instant logic is thrown out the window and your precious battle plans go awry! That’s why magic shall be supreme!” As Aaron dismissed his clones, Jazz and his clones were catching their breath. They removed their belts and discussed their next plan of attack.

“I don’t think I’m being melodramatic when I say this is monumentally bad!” gulped one of the clones.

“We have an option,” replied another clone.

“What did you have in mind?” asked the original.

“First, why don’t we check the core medals we have?” quizzed the clone. The others shrugged and then pulled out the medal collection they each had. It was then that two clones had a full red set each. In fact, there were multiple copies of Jazz’s medal collection. “Okay,” remarked the clone that ask for a medal check, “that makes my plan a lot easier.”

“You don’t mean…,” realized another clone.

“All combos?” asked the original. The clone nodded. “Then I guess I’ll take the Tatoba combo!”

“I’ll take Gatakiriba!” declared the second clone.

“Latoratah for me!” announced another clone.

“Sagozo!” called the first clone.

“Tajador will be mine!” interjected another clone.

“I’ll be swimming with Shauta!” proclaimed another clone.

“Stomping around with Putotyra!” sang another one.

“Slithering with Burakawani!” said another with a hiss.

“I’ll take Tamashi!” called the ninth.

“I guess I’ll take the Super Tatoba combo!” remarked the last. They fished out the medals for those combos and inserted them into the belt. Once they swiped the scanner, they all said “Henshin!” and let the combos form.

“TAKA! TORA! BATTA! Tatoba! Tatoba, Tatoba!”

“KUWAGATA! KAMAKIRI! BATTA! Gata-Gata-Gatakiriba! Gatakiriba!”

“LION! TORA! CHEETAH!” The arms stayed the same as the Tatoba combo. The helmet had blue eyes and looked like a yellow lion’s mane. The legs were yellow as well. “Lata Lata! Latoratah!”

“SAI! GORILLA! ZOU!” The outfit turned silver, with the head looking like a rhino’s horn and gained red eyes. The arms looked more like a gorilla’s. The feet became heavier and made of denser steel. “Sagozo! Sagozo!”

“TAKA! KUJAKU! CONDOR!” The outfit turned red with the helmet gaining larger wings and the eyes turning red as well. The shoulder pads looked like a peacock’s feathers with some sort of shield on the left arm. The feet became sharpened like talons. “Tajador!”

“SHACHI! UNAGI! TAKO!” The outfit turned blue with the helmet gaining an orca pattern and yellow eyes. The arms had whip like weapons on them and the legs had suckers on them. “Sha-Sha-Shauta! Sha-Sha-Shauta!”

“PTERA! TRICERA! TYRANNO!” The outfit was purple with the eyes turning green, and the wings going from hawk-like to Pteranodon-like. He gained a set of Pteranodon wings as well. The shoulders got Triceratops horns on each side. The legs became claw-like. “Putotyrannosaurus!”

“COBRA! KAME! WANI!” The helmet gained purple eyes and a snake “turban” with a ponytail like extension. The arms were yellow-orange and had half of a turtle’s shell on each one. The legs became orange and had a tooth pattern. “Burakawani!”

“TAKA! IMAGIN! SHOCKER!” The head remained the same as the Tatoba head, but the arms were red with a large horn on each shoulder. The legs were golden with a wing design. “Tamashi! Tamashi, Tamashi! Rider Damashii!”

“SUPER! SUPER! SUPER! SUPER TAKA! SUPER TORA! SUPER BATTA!” Instead of being mainly black with red, yellow, and green designs, it was red, yellow, and green with black designs. “Super! Tatoba, Tatoba! SUPER!

“We ready?” asked Tatoba Jazz. The response was positive. “Then, CHARGE!” All the combos charged at Aaron. Aaron smirked.

“Oh, that is precious!” he laughed.

“Tajador! Putotyra! You guys first!” said Tatoba Jazz. Tajador Jazz grabbed the three green medals, opened the shield, put the medals in it, closed the shield, and put the scanner on top. The medals spun around the shield.

“KUWAGATA! KAMAKIRI! BATTA! GIN! GIN! GIN! GIGA SCAN!” called the scanner. Energy formed around the shield as he prepared to punch. When he did, a green energy disc flew out of the shield and landed a hit on Aaron. Aaron staggered, but still had the smirk. Putotyra Jazz slammed his fist into the ground, making a purple light glow from the cracks. He then pulled out an ax with a purple blade and an open t-rex mouth holding the blade. He then put a silver medal with an x into the top of the blade, let it go down the blade, and then closed the mouth.

“GOKKUN!” it growled as Putotyra Jazz swung another handle down to turn it into a bazooka. He let the energy charge up before pulling the trigger. “Putotyranno Hissatsu!” Once he pulled the trigger, a large purple blast struck Aaron square in the chest.

“That should do it!” growled Putotyra Jazz.

“Should and did are two different concepts,” replied Aaron’s voice. He was still unscathed!

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!” cried Latoratah Jazz.

“All right, then!” muttered Tatoba Jazz. “Scanners out, everyone!” All the combos swiped the scanners across the belt.

“SCANNING CHARGE!” announced all the belts. Tatoba, Tajador, Shauta, Gatakiriba, and Super Tatoba jumped into the air and made a dive kick motion. Sagozo floated into the air before dropping onto his feet and creating a quake. Burakawani slid on his back in a flying kick motion. Tamashi held an energy ball and fired it like Goku. Putotyra extended the horns on his shoulders to Aaron, froze him, and swung his tail. Latoratah charged at Aaron at high speeds and made a cutting motion with his claws.

“SEIYA!” they all cried as the attacks hit their marks. The other combos disappeared, so the only combo left was the original Jazz in the Tatoba combo. He then de-transformed and returned to his usual robot mode. He then wiped an imaginary tear.

“That explosion would have put a tear in many a Kamen Rider’s eye,” he mock-whimpered.

“Whatever a Kamen Rider is,” sighed Aaron’s voice.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!” shouted Jazz.

“Now, are there anymore tricks you want to try, or shall I deactivate you right now?” asked Aaron. Jazz then tried something desperate.

“That necklace you have there, what is it?” he quizzed.

“Seriously?” muttered Aaron. “I asked for a trick and you want to try something as basic as that? Fine, I’ll play along. It’s my sorcerer’s crest. It shows my rank in the magic world. Why do you ask?” An idea formed for Jazz on the fly.

“It looks a lot like a Cyber Key,” he mused.

“A what?” asked Aaron.

“A Cyber Key,” Jazz repeated. “It’s an ancient piece of Cybertronian tech that unlocks a bot’s hidden systems.”

“It’s not technology!” protested Aaron. “It’s a precious metal that fell from the stars, eons ago!”

“So did the Cyber Keys,” countered Jazz.

“This is a means of one getting power!” snapped Aaron.

“Cyber! Key!” insisted Jazz.

“All right, you know what?!” snapped Aaron as he took off his necklace. He then threw it at Jazz, who caught it. “Now, tell me, is that ancient technology?”

“Actually,” said Jazz with a grin as data flowed into his processor, “that just cinched it.” He then flicked it into the air and thrust his palm into the air. “CYBER KEY POWER!” The Cyber Key then inserted itself into Jazz’s back and turned. Machinery on his back swung to his shoulders to be shoulder mounted firearms. The barrels almost looked like speakers. “Oh,” gasped Jazz as targeting systems flooded his visor, “Christmas came early! Earth-shake Bass Cannons!”

“Oh, please!” mocked Aaron as it looked like he had flicked some dirt off. “That fight must have drained you! And besides, the gap between you and the coward wizard that made that belt real must be wide if you light up at new weapons!” Now, Jazz is a mellow bot. There’s very little that can tick him off. Mentioning the power gap between him and his best friend and calling said friend a coward are sure fire ways to make him lose his cool.

“You know what?” he snarled. “Frag the gap between me and my best friend. Frag the Energon draining fight! Frag your arrogance!! In fact, FRAG YOU FOR DARING TO CALL MY BEST FRIEND, OPTIMUS PRIME, A COWARDLY WIZARD! MAXIMUM SONICS!” The Bass Cannons unleashed a torrent of sonic waves that were directed at Aaron. He held his head in pain. It stopped after a while. “I AIN’T DONE! MAXIMUM SONICS!” Another torrent. Jazz kept on and on until Aaron was on the ground, steadying himself.

“I’m going to get up now!” he snarled. “And if you do that again, I swear to God Almighty…!”

“Maximum Sonics,” hissed Jazz. One last torrent knocked Aaron back a few feet. Jazz stood like a statue for a while. “Huh,” he thought, “with all those shots, I’d figure my Energon reserves would…oh, wait, there they go.” Metal met pavement with a resounding thud. Multiple warnings of Energon overexposure rang though his head. Jazz then tried to transform, to no avail. “T-Cog, come on! No! Be a pal!” Not a snowball’s chance in even the deepest part of Dante’s Hell. Jazz started shorting out.

“Now,” remarked Aaron as he got up, “as far as last words go, ‘Maximum Sonics’ aren’t the greatest. But, to be fair, that’s far from the worst decision you’ve ever made today!”

“You haven’t seen my ‘go frag yourself’ attack yet!” Jazz managed to get out.

“Now, see,” chuckled Aaron, “that’s the spirit.” He shrunk back down and turned his skin back to normal skin. He then raised his hand to the air and made a fist of fire. “Ignis Pugno Mor…!”

“CHAOS SPEAR!” came Shadow’s voice. A yellow energy arrow struck Aaron in the back and the fist disappeared.

“All right, who has the gall?!” snarled Aaron.

“If it’s an opponent you’re looking for,” rasped Shadow as he strode forward, “I can fill the part. Ratchet, get him out of here.” Ratchet used his magnets to lift Jazz over to his position. The other Autobots were conscious and in vehicle mode. Aaron growled.

“Fine!” he growled. “I’ll just deal with this freak!” He charged at Shadow, beginning the battle.


	7. Chapter 7

It was currently impossible for Jazz to convert to vehicle mode on his own, so he had to get someone to transform him. The process wasn’t very comfortable for Jazz as Ratchet had to release certain armor latches and move other parts with some force. Once back in vehicle mode, Jazz began internal repairs and slowly activated his holo-form. “Primus, that was awful!” he groaned. “Thank you anyways.”

“Just doing my job,” replied Ratchet. “How are internal repairs?”

“Going a bit slow,” reported Jazz.

“That’s natural,” answered Ratchet, “after that long of exposure.”

“How are the others?” asked Jazz.

“We’re functional,” remarked Optimus. “Where did those other Jazzes come from?”

“My Gatakiriba combo,” explained Jazz. “I used the OOO Driver before I saw Aaron sporting a Cyber Key around his neck.”

“Whose was it?” asked Prowl.

“It was mine,” replied Jazz. “He was stupid enough to give it to me so I could prove it was Cybertronian tech and not a magic metal from otherworldly origins.”

“Wow!” sighed Sonic. “That’s some stupidity right there.”

“I know!” agreed Jazz. “Wait, where’s Shadow?”

“Fighting Aaron right now,” revealed Bumblebee.

“That disgrace to wizards will be arrested sooner or later,” chuckled Optimus. They heard a moan.

“Amy!” called Sonic. He ran over to her and held her up. Amy’s eyes opened.

“Sonic?” she said weakly.

“Easy,” encouraged Ratchet. “Save your strength.”

“It’s a good thing you Mobians have adaptive biology,” remarked Optimus, “otherwise you’d be dead from that blast.”

“Adaptive biology boosted with magic always helps,” chuckled Amy weakly. “Wait, where’s Shadow?”

“Fighting Aaron, I assume,” answered Trema’s voice. Trema was getting up. “He’ll have an advantage.”

“Forgive me if I disagree!” cried Amy as she tried to get up.

“Amy, easy!” insisted Sonic.

“Sonic’s right,” supplied Ratchet, “you need rest.”

“When Shadow’s about to die? Not likely!” argued Amy.

“What do you mean ‘about to die’?” asked Optimus.

“Optimus,” answered Amy, “do you know how many times I’ve been slapped around when I went on solo missions as the Scarlet Specter?”

“Not really,” muttered Optimus.

“EVERY time,” revealed Amy, “bar my training with my teachers, literally EVERY time!”

“The point being?” asked Jazz.

“I’ve learned to gauge when someone is holding back!” finished Amy. Her gaze went to Optimus.

“Amy, in many warrior cultures, like Nebulan and Cybertronian cultures, accusing a warrior of holding back is plain rude!” admonished Trema.

“Besides,” continued Jazz, “this is Optimus Prime. A Prime never holds back, right best buddy?” Silence. “Prime?” All eyes leveled to Optimus.

“…I can explain,” gulped Optimus.

“I don’t think you can!” hissed Amy.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shadow and Aaron continue trading blows. “Come on!” taunted Shadow. “Is that the best you’ve got?!”

“Considering you’ve been holding back,” replied Aaron, “why should I go all out?”

“What do you mean?” asked Shadow.

“Let’s be honest,” sighed Aaron, “neither of us are at full power. You’ve been holding back because of something actively restraining you. The thing is you can take off the restraints at any time!”

“I don’t see how it concerns you holding back,” answered Shadow.

“Are you sure?” asked Aaron. “Don’t you want to defeat me at my full potential?”

* * *

“You’ve been holding back this entire time?!” yelped Jazz

“Okay, yes!” confirmed Optimus. “I’ve actually learned how to tap into Chaos energy a while ago, before Shockwave appeared. But Shadow doesn’t know that! If he did…”

“He’d be mad at you?!” guessed Amy. “Listen, I like the guy, but his default emotion is mad!”

“It’s more than anger, it’s pride!” insisted Optimus. “It would shatter him if there was a robot stronger than him!”

“Fueling a person’s ego is unbecoming of a warrior!” roared Trema.

“Dude, what in the Pit!” protested Jazz.

“Sir, there is another option!” interjected Prowl. “Wasn’t your trailer made from a spare battle-frame?”

“It’s not perfected!” replied Optimus. “There’s a problem with it!”

“I think that problem is negligible!” insisted Prowl.

“No, you don’t understand,” urged Optimus.

* * *

“I’m willing to make a deal with you,” offered Aaron. “You give me your most powerful attack, and I’ll give you mine. That way, if, by some miracle, you beat me, you’ll have the satisfaction of taking down the most powerful opponent without any help.” Shadow’s ear twitched. He seemed to be deep in thought.

“You know,” he rasped, “the thing is, I know you’re stoking my ego…” his hand then went to his wrist ring! “…but you’re right!”

* * *

“Optimus, you need to do something before Shadow does something completely reckless!” urged Amy.

“There’s literally nothing he can do to make this situation any worse than it is,” replied Optimus, “bar blowing up the city.” They were all watching Shadow at that point and saw him removing his rings! “…He is going to blow up the city!”

“But I live here!” yelped Amy.

“That’s it!” encouraged Aaron, feeling the power rising in Shadow. “Keep it coming!”

“SHADOW! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!” shouted Sonic.

“SHADOW!” called Optimus. “YOUR PRIDE ISN’T WORTH LEVELING THE CITY! COME ON!”

“Way past the bargaining stage!” yelped Prowl. Shadow then started glowing red and his eyes turned completely white.

“CHAOS…BLAST!” he roared. A dome of red light soon engulfed the city. The Autobots and allies hit the deck. The light remained for a while, then it faded slowly. “Powerful enough for you?” snarked Shadow. “Hope you’re proud.”

“Oh, Shadow,” replied Aaron’s voice, startling the hedgehog, “I AM proud. Not of the damage, no, but of you! You are one of the few people to stick to your guts and throw everything away to satisfy your frankly fragile ego. For that, I tip my hat to you. But, I believe we’re done.” He fished out the yellow Chaos Emerald. “Chaos Control.” He then disappeared from his position in the sky and reappeared behind Shadow, delivering a kick to his spine.

“Prime, you’re out of options!” called Amy.

“We don’t know that!” insisted Optimus. “We still have the emeralds to whip up…”

“The Chaos Emeralds aren’t Dragonballs!” snapped Jazz. “Besides, we don’t have all seven!” Optimus sighed. He really didn’t have any options. He transformed and charged at Aaron.

“Battle frame: Online!” he ordered. “Optimus Prime: Super Mode!” The trailer started folding and twisting until it changed into a set of limbs held by an empty box with an armored chest unit. Optimus’ legs folded into the vehicle mode rear and his arms folded backwards. He flew into the box holding the limbs and the chest armor folded down. A helmet like his own came down over his head. Connections hidden in Optimus’ body attached to the ones in the battle frame. The limbs then moved at Optimus’ command. Optimus grabbed Aaron and threw him away from Shadow while Shadow was tossed to Ratchet. Aaron soon picked himself up.

“What fool stopped my righteous attack?!” he snarled.

“There is nothing righteous about killing anyone, even in war!” Optimus snarled right back.

“You’ve clearly never been in one,” observed Aaron as he charged at Optimus. Optimus twisted around to let Aaron’s punch go wild. Aaron twisted and managed to land a hit and, oddly enough, not receive any damage on his end. Optimus then swatted him into a building. The dust settled for a bit.

“That might not have done much damage, but, by PRIMUS, that felt good!” sighed Optimus.

“Oh HO!” laughed Aaron as he crawled out of the rubble. “Is that a smidgen of pride I sense? Guess your creators wanted you to imitate life.”

“Creator, actually,” corrected Optimus.

“Master Trema, what’s with Optimus?” asked Amy. “He’s much more powerful than Aaron now! Where’s that confidence he’s famous for?!”

“I think I see why he was so hesitant,” realized Trema. “That confidence went out the window when his speed decreased.”

“I don’t understand,” said Amy.

“In raw power,” explained Trema, “Prime can’t be beat right now. However, his current form has increased his mass to a level he’s not used to. His body cannot compensate right now. So, while we’re seeing a definite increase in strength, we’re also seeing a definite decrease in speed.”

“In other words,” gasped Amy as the reality of the situation hits her, “Prime can’t hit Aaron and he’s taunting Optimus with the few free hits Prime landed on him!”

“Damn it!” snarled Prowl. “I feel so helpless! We need to do something!”

“Like what?” asked Trema. “Get ragdolled? No thank you!”

“Of course, a Nebulan would say that!” hissed Prowl.

“To be fair,” mused Ironhide, “between the Super Prime and the Psycho Wizard…”

“Don’t you start!” protested Prowl.

“Hey, you may have forgotten,” snarled Ironhide, “but I was on Femax, okay?! Those Amazons almost killed both sides! I got stabbed! And blown up!”

“I got stabbed and blown up too!” answered Trema. “And dumped by my boyfriend from Femax.”

“I was dumped by my Femaxian girlfriend too,” replied Ironhide. “But, there’s a difference between us, Ms. witch princess.” Trema raised an eyebrow at that as familiarity struck her. “When my ex left, she took half my Energon. When yours left, he took all of HIS Energon.” It was then that Trema realized who the Transformer was.

“Yeah, well at least I slept with Nortor, Mr. Cyber-hick!” she snapped as one would to their sibling.

“Yeah, well unlike me and Chromia, you have no means of proving it!” Ironhide snapped back.

“Do too! We’ll just ask him!” offered Trema.

“Can you guys keep it down?!” called Optimus. “I’m trying to fight here!”

“Okay, in hindsight,” thought Prowl, “I’m so glad I’m staying behind.”

“Pity, really,” sighed Aaron. “You wanted strength and your new form slows you down. Once I’m finished with you, I’ll find the wizard that gave that _Kamen Rider_ -obsessed dolt that belt!”

“Wait, didn’t Jazz tell you?” asked Optimus.

“He had the nerve to say that you could use magic!” snapped Aaron. “It’s impossible for a machine to sully magic!” Optimus stared, then smirked.

“Captain Witwicky,” he chuckled, “while I would love nothing better than to argue with you, I literally have a million better things to do. So, here’s the deal. I want you to hit me with your most powerful fireball.”

“Is that so?” quizzed Aaron.

“You may have misheard me,” remarked Optimus. “I don’t mean some arbitrary percentage, nor fifty percent. I want YOU to hit ME with your MOST powerful fireball.”

“Suppose I don’t play along?” asked Aaron, a little irked at the smarminess dripping from Optimus.

“Then I guess your wife won’t want to see you,” taunted Optimus. Aaron twitched. “Oooh, consider that nerve touched,” smirked Optimus. “Come on. You, me, most powerful fireball. Clear?”

“Crystal!” growled Aaron. Aaron then started hovering in the air. He then formed a red sphere of light in his hands, then thrust them into the air. The sky, the buildings, the streets, the people, EVERYTHING turned a nasty shade of red. The atmosphere of Station Square was saturated with Aaron’s anger towards Optimus. Through it all, the youngest Prime still had that annoying grin.

“That’s it!” called Optimus. “Keep it coming! I can actually feel it!”

“IN MERE SECONDS,” roared Aaron, “ALL YOU WILL FEEL IS FIERY OBLIVION, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF MOLTEN SLAG!”

“Oblivion, or disappointment?” asked Optimus. “Go ahead, flip that coin.”

“AS YOU WISH!” shouted Aaron “IGNIS GIGAS!” The fireball was massive as it hurtled towards Optimus at incredible speed. Optimus simply held his hand out.

“Corpus Pondus in Igne,” he said. The fireball then got smaller as the flames travelled safely into his hand. Soon, there was no fireball at all. Aaron stared in disbelief.

“Impossible!” he breathed.

“Afraid not,” replied Optimus. “My people CAN use magic. I’m a wizard of your very Order. I’m sure you’re familiar with an absorption spell. Absorbing water spells make the absorber swim faster, air spells improve flight, earth spells allow you to feel your opponent’s movements in the ground, fire…well, I’m sure you figured out my current form’s speed deficiency, until I absorbed your most powerful fireball. The thing is, that spell was hard for me to master, until today.” Aaron just roared and launched multiple fireballs. Optimus just kept absorbing the fireballs.

“WHY WON’T YOU DIE?!” roared Aaron.

“Dude, throwing fireball after fireball at me, even after I showed I can absorb them, is a sign of insanity,” sighed Prime.

“YOU KNOW WHAT!” screamed Aaron. “TIME TO STAIN THIS CITY WITH BLOOD! SCUTUM REFLEXIONEM!” Optimus, Trema, and Amy’s went wide with horror.

“What did you say?!” cried Amy.


	8. Chapter 8

“He wouldn’t dare!” gasped Trema.

“What’s going on?” asked Sonic.

“He’s trapping the city in a special kind of magic dome!” explained Optimus. “If an attack hits it, it will be reflected and hit somewhere or someone else!”

“But if the attack is lethal…!” breathed Jazz, putting two and two together.

“Now, do you understand the gravity of the situation?!” asked Aaron.

“These people have nothing to do with our fight!” shouted Optimus. “Lower the dome now!”

“Not a chance!” countered Aaron. “There WILL be casualties! As such, since you try to defend these technology worshipping ants, it will be on YOUR hands, not mine!”

“Take it down! Now!” ordered Optimus.

“You are in no position to give orders!” roared Aaron. He then started firing energy blasts from his hands. He stayed in the air and kept Optimus to the ground.

“Scrap!” thought Optimus. “I have to get him down, otherwise he’d dodge and the attack would hit the dome!”

“PRIME!” shouted Prowl. “HE’S TOO POWERFUL! RUN!”

“Are you out of your gourd?!” protested Optimus. “I can’t run! Too much is at stake!”

“Optimus, trust Prowl!” urged Teletraan. “He’s got a plan!” Optimus continually shifted his vision between Prowl and Aaron. He finally gave a groan of frustration, transformed into vehicle mode, and sped off.

“COWARD!” roared Aaron as he took off in pursuit. Optimus pulled off every flying maneuver in the book to shake him off, but it did no good.

“Will you get off my aft?!” shouted Optimus.

“DIE, SCRAPHEAP!” screamed Aaron as he fired an energy blast. Thankfully, Optimus was low enough so the attack would hit pavement and not the dome.

“No,” thought Optimus, “I guess not.”

“Optimus, blind him for a bit,” suggested Prowl, “then mask yourself. Amy’s informed me of a spell that can hide you from other magic users.”

“I have mastered that spell, yes,” replied Optimus. “Then what, wait for the right time to strike?”

“No,” corrected Prowl. “Stay hidden until he loses it!”

“What?!” yelped Optimus.

“Trust me!” said Prowl. “I have a theory!”

“Okay,” muttered Optimus, with a bit of uncertainty. “Optimus Prime: Super Mode!” He transformed, took a cylinder from his right leg, and threw it at Aaron. Aaron fired a blast and detonated the Cybertronian flash grenade Optimus threw.

“MY EYES!” he roared. He tried various eye healing spells, but his vision still took a long time to return. When it did, Optimus had disappeared. “Oh, want to play that game, hm? It’s easy to track you, you know? Quis Inveniet.” An orb on energy flew in front of Aaron. “Now, since you use magic, it should be easy to find you!” The orb glowed and glowed…and glowed…and glowed some more. “This isn’t right!” snarled Aaron. “I should be able to track you unless…oh no!” He dismissed the orb. “That’s not how the game is played!” He fired on the ground. “Optimus, you can’t hide from me forever! Where are you?! OPTIMUS PRIME!!” The aforementioned Autobot was hiding in an alleyway per his 2nd lieutenant’s suggestion. He used a spell to mask himself completely.

“Grgh!” he thought. “Every fiber of my being wants to take up the gauntlet, to face him, but Prowl’s plan depends on me staying still!”

“OPTIMUS! FACE ME!” screamed Aaron, sounding desperate. “Please! In the roar of battle, there was peace! Sanctuary! I DON’T WANT TO REMEMBER!!” That made Optimus arch an eyebrow.

“Remember what?” he thought. “Maybe I should see how this plays out.”

“OPTIMUS! COME OUT AND FIGHT! OPTIMUS!” cried Aaron. He then let off an unearthly shriek! As Optimus covered his Audio receptors, the noise shattered many windows in the surrounding area. Optimus cautiously opened one optic and directed it skyward to see that the dome was disappearing!

“What in the…?!” he gasped. The citizens of Station Square echoed his reaction. The scream had died as Aaron landed, not so gracefully, on the pavement. “Autobots,” called Optimus over the comms as he stepped out of the alley, “converge on my position. I think Prowl needs to explain his theory.” Aaron saw him and raised his hand to fire a magic bolt. Optimus got into a defensive stance and prepared for the blast, but nothing happened. Aaron goggled at the lack of magic and tried again, but there was still nothing.

“What did you do?!” he roared.

“The only thing I did to you was throw a flash grenade at you!” protested Optimus as he went to normal robot mode.

“Not exactly,” answered Prowl’s voice as he, Sonic, Shadow, Amy, Trema, and the other Autobots arrived on the scene. “It’s all come together. My neural clusters are in top gear!”

“What do you mean?” asked Shadow as he gingerly held his sides.

“During the fight, it looked like he was in denial about something,” explained Prowl. “When Optimus had given us the rundown of the conference with Team Dark about the potential misuse of a Chaos Emerald, I was floored that the name Witwicky was being dragged through the mud like that. At that point, I started doing my research on Aaron. He had a habit of vlogging and he always had his wife and children with him. They gave the look of a family that always had fun times; however my optics are specially designed to observe 800 moving objects and calculate their direction of travel in 0.5 seconds. As such, I can focus on the tiniest details, even in a video. I noticed that your wife, Mikaela, was giving off very tiny twitches in her face. I did some more research and found that she made a vlog herself.”

“What?!” yelped Aaron. “Impossible! She was terrible with computers!”

“Her vlog begs to differ,” argued Prowl. “During its run, she made mention to domestic abuse.”

“LIES!” roared Aaron.

“That’s not what the twitches in her body said,” answered Prowl. “They told me enough to know that she spoke the truth. She even showed a handprint on her cheek in one of them.”

“Must have been one of her ‘friends’!” hissed Aaron. “She hung out with catty girls!”

“Impossible,” countered Prowl. “The handprint was too square-like for a woman’s hand, even for a heavyset one. All evidence points to the fact that the lover’s nest wasn’t a happy nest. Even your children, Samantha and Timmy, got onto Mikaela’s vlog to expose your crimes. When they were shot, a soldier under your command was blamed. However, I saw the trial’s outcome and the twitches in the defendant’s body suggest that he didn’t do it. The point was moot, sadly, as he was found guilty and sentenced to the firing squad. Then, you started blaming technology and an uneasy peace as the killer. However, that’s not true, is it? You were using magic to try and drown out the noise of the victims’ ghosts blaming you.”

“If you’re suggesting that I killed my wife and children…!” snarled Aaron.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” deduced Prowl. “You actually knew about Mikaela’s vlog and her exposing of your crimes. You didn’t want her saying that your world wasn’t perfect or for children to call you evil, so you disposed of the witnesses and fabricated the crime scene to make it look like that soldier was the killer. After the outcome of the trial, you started hearing voices, so you used magic to start a war to drown out the noise because battle was the only way you could ever be happy. What you didn’t know was that the War of Four Orders, as many people across the universe call it, would spread to the wizards and witches of Cybertron, thus sullying magic for a good long while.”

“You have no proof!” roared Aaron. “Let’s say I DID do it, how are you going to prove it? Your eyes won’t be taken as evidence! And all proof that doesn’t relate to tiny twitches in my body is in the past! No court will accept evidence from the latter half of the 28th century!”

“Ah, but there IS current proof!” replied Prowl. “And it came from your own mouth!” Aaron goggled at the police bot. “When you started the fight, I noticed that you kept saying that battle was glorious, proving that you can’t function outside of battle. When Optimus taunted you about your family, it struck a raw nerve! As such, it let me formulate a plan. Of course, the dome that would reflect all attacks onto civilians did leave an x factor, but my people pride themselves on adaption, so I shifted gears and convinced Optimus to run. Being the battle-lusting fighter you are, you weren’t going to be satisfied until you fought him and crushed him. Thankfully, Optimus threw a flash grenade in your face so he could hide and deny you battle with him. That didn’t sit well with you and so you started searching for him. That was the moment when you said, and I quote, ‘Please! In the roar of battle, there was peace! Sanctuary! I don’t want to remember!’ But you do. Aaron Witwicky: killer of Mikaela, Samantha, and Timothy Witwicky. You thought the roar of battle by magic would bury the ghosts of those that you’ve wronged. Let me tell you right now, as a bot that almost went down that path, you’re wrong.”

“I AM NOT!” roared Aaron as he tried to fire magic bolts, to no avail.

“Aaron, enough,” urged Amy. “That emotional outburst has proven that you are unworthy of wielding magic. You divided the Wizards and Witches of all Orders, you started a war for selfish reasons, and you’ve blamed other people for your mistakes! The simple fact of the matter is, you’ve been stripped of magic. Granted, I’ve never heard of people stripping themselves of magic.”

“There is precedence,” replied Trema, “just not on Mobius in any of its eras.”

“Now then,” declared Prowl as he transformed. He slapped handcuffs on Aaron. “Aaron Witwicky, former Army Captain of the now defunct United States Armed Forces, you are under arrest. The charges include murder, fabrication of evidence, starting a war with no authorization from any government, and other various war crimes too numerous and horrible to mention. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, and considering you are not from this era, I can believe it, the courts shall provide you one. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?” There was a pause.

“Yes,” sighed Aaron, finally, as he surrendered.

“Shadow, I believe G.U.N should hold him,” urged Prowl.

“So do I,” agreed Shadow. He turned to a trooper. “Get an armored car here, I don’t want to run any risks.”

“Yes, Sir!” obliged the trooper.

“Prowl, help me search him,” answered Shadow as he produced the warrant. After Prowl checked it over he gave a nod and the two search Aaron.

“Necklace,” reported Prowl.

“Stress Toy,” droned Shadow.

“Bullet that was never fired,” observed Prowl.

“I have no idea where that came from,” insisted Aaron.

“Wand,” reported Shadow.

“I have a permit for that,” assured Aaron.

“Had,” corrected Amy. “It’s certainly been revoked.”

“Yellow Chaos Emerald,” droned Prowl, “we’ll fight about who owns it later.” POW! WHAM! SLAM! SLAP! THUD! A mystery assailant floored prowl, Shadow, Sonic, Aaron, and Optimus. The others pulled their weapons out, be they guns or wands.

“Oh, when an x-factor works in your favor!” cheered a metallic Sonic voice. Everyone turned to see Metal Sonic standing on a rooftop with Shockwave at his side. Optimus and the other knocked out people had recovered and saw them as well.

“What are you lot doing here?!” shouted Optimus as he drew his gun.

“Well, since the original plan went out the window,” answered Shockwave, “it’s only logical to tell you. We were simply looking for the Chaos Emerald on Aaron’s person. It was only serendipity that we found yours as well. I must say, keeping them on you is rather illogical.”

“Hand them over!” roared Shadow.

“Not a chance!” called Metal Sonic. “We now have five Chaos Emeralds to our name while you and that fat fool have none!”

“Metal Sonic, enough,” interjected Shockwave. “We’re leaving. Sigma, open a Ground Bridge.”

“A Ground Bridge?!” yelped Prowl.

“Teletraan, intercept!” ordered Optimus.

“I’m trying!” replied Teletraan. “Her Ground Bridge vortex is different than ours!” Too late. Shockwave and Metal Sonic stepped through and the bridge closed. Optimus twitched for a few seconds, then let out a roar of frustration, similar to a gorilla’s roar. Shockwave had ultimately beaten them, but there were still the blue and white emeralds unaccounted for.

“Teletraan, once Aaron is behind bars, bridge us back,” sighed Optimus. “Afterwards, I think we should run a defrag on you. Before that, call Alexis, get her to tell us what we can do to fix the property damage.”

“Yes, Sir,” obliged Teletraan.


	9. Chapter 9

Optimus sighed. The fight with Aaron cost him four Chaos Emeralds and Prowl had a bit of a time getting Aaron to cooperate. The trial concluded in a life sentence for Aaron with no chance of parole. Optimus sat at his desk, listening to Prowl. “With that, Station Square should be fixed in a week,” he finished.

“What about Shockwave?” asked Optimus. “Has Teletraan found her yet?” Teletraan then popped up on the view-screen on Prime’s desk.

“That’s a negative,” he reported. “Even my recent defrag hasn’t helped.”

“SLAG!” shouted Optimus as he slammed his hand on the desk.

“Hey, easy!” protested Teletraan. “No need to take it out on me!”

“She blindsided us!” hissed Optimus.

“You mean Shockwave?” asked Prowl.

“Who else?!” confirmed Optimus. “She was biding her time to steal our emeralds!”

“That’s not the case at all,” argued Teletraan 1.

“Oh no,” snapped Optimus, “I’m positive that’s the case! She…!”

“Had no idea there were four Chaos Emeralds,” interrupted Teletraan. “While I couldn’t intercept her Ground Bridge, I did get into her files.”

“…What?” quizzed the young Prime.

“While I couldn’t get the location of their base, I did find something that was the plan she wanted to initiate today,” explained Teletraan.

“…Again, what?!” yelped Optimus.

“She and Metal Sonic were trying to build a mass reducer, a shrink ray, if you will. Cliché though it is, she almost perfected it and wanted to test it on you guys. She has no means of detecting Chaos Emeralds. She was the one blindsided.” Teletraan then chuckled. “Shouldn’t be too hard for a Cyclops to be blindsided!” he joked.

“Bad joke aside,” remarked Optimus, “did you get anything about why she wants the emeralds?”

“Only something that would confirm our suspicions of her needing them as batteries for something,” answered Teletraan. “Anything from that, I don’t know. G.U.N. DID discover something that made me recheck my knowledge on Metal Sonic.”

“Oh?” asked Optimus.

“It looked like a previous body that Metal Sonic had,” elaborated Teletraan. “On top of that, it’s connected to other bodies. My guess is that the bodies have a hive mind, and that mind is Metal Sonic’s.”

“A hive mind?” mused Optimus. “Like Ultron from the old Earth Days?”

“I think so,” theorized Teletraan, “but I need a master coder to help.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere in this instance!” cheered Optimus.

“What about the property damage?!” protested Prowl.

“I’m sure six bots can fix it,” dismissed Optimus. “I’ll catch up. See ya!” He headed out of his office and walked towards the tech room.

“But! But!” was all Prowl could get out before a look of stark confusion crossed his face. He then called up Jazz. “Last chance to watch him,” he called when Jazz picked up.

“No!” snapped Jazz.

“Okay, if you say so,” sighed Prowl.

* * *

Optimus had the Metal Sonic body taken down to the technical room, where all the various instruments to examine hardware and software was located and cracked said body open at the head. He had taken a probe and put it into the brain to start examining code on the screen next to him. While that was going in, he waved some sort of wand device with a green light and four prongs over it. When the analysis on the probe was finished, he flicked the wand in his hands and looked at it. “Ah HA!” he said.

“What?” asked Teletraan. “What’s it saying?”

“I have no idea,” replied Optimus. “I’m just waving my sonic screwdriver around it as if I knew how it worked.” Teletraan’s avatar facepalmed. “But,” continued Optimus, “I knew what I was doing with this probe. Your suspicions were right, Metal Sonic’s a hive mind like Ultron. However, there was something interesting.”

“I just ran through the results of the probe,” reported Teletraan. “It looks like their power source is different from conventional power sources.”

“Run it by power frequencies we’ve encountered,” directed Optimus. Teletraan’s eyes turned into code for a few seconds, a la The Matrix trilogy, before his face showed surprise.”

“Is that…Chaos energy?” he gulped.

“Exactly,” confirmed Optimus. “These guys are practically saturated with the stuff. But, it’s their connection to our own race that interests me.”

“Our own race?” repeated Teletraan. “How? They can’t transform. They don’t even have t-cogs.”

“Not the connection I was referring to,” answered Optimus. “I was thinking about our fuel source.”

“The only one who runs on Energon out of the two of them is Shockwave,” recalled Teletraan.

“Really?” asked Optimus. “Run a match on usual Energon with the stuff found on Mobius.” Teletraan blinked, then did so. The results were similar, but not exact.

“What?” muttered Teletraan. “That doesn’t make sense. It should have stayed the same. Same planet, same readings. I’ve even run them past Energon found during the old Earth Days. It should be consistent.”

“Ah,” interjected Optimus, “but there were no Chaos Emeralds in that era, were there?” Teletraan got the idea and ran a simulation of exposing Energon to Chaos energy. That’s when the readings changed to match that of Modern day Mobius.

“So, that’s why you guys short out!” realized Teletraan. “Chaos energy supercharged the Energon deposits left on the planet after the war was over!”

“And there’s a mechanism in this body that takes in Chaos energy in the atmosphere,” continued Optimus. “I’d say some particles of Energon are wandering inside Metal Sonic as he fuels up.”

“Will that make him a big enough threat?” asked Teletraan.

“I don’t think so,” mused Optimus. “It’s the amount of bodies Metal Sonic has that concerns me. A durability test shows that the bodies aren’t that strong, so we won’t have a problem crushing them individually. It’s when he decides to attack en masse that has me on edge. Teletraan, I want you to start adjusting our Energon sensors on all our equipment. Coordinate with Ratchet on that department and see if you can get Energon sensors on both Arks.”

“Got it,” confirmed Teletraan. “An idea just came to me. An alternative method is to track Energon signatures. Spark signatures can be hidden, but the radiation you guys put out has yet to be cloaked. If we use Energon signatures…”

“We can locate Shockwave! Good call!” praised Optimus. “In the words of a great man, make it so!”

“Aye, aye, Captain Picard!” confirmed Teletraan. “You go take care of the property damage. I can handle things here.”

“Very well,” replied Optimus. “Have a Ground Bridge ready.” Optimus made his way to the Main Command Center and bridged out to Station Square. Alexis was already there to give him a job while the other Autobots did theirs.


	10. Chapter 10

After the cleanup of Station Square, Optimus gave his bots some R&R. Bumblebee and Cliffjumper were playing a game where you catch many different creatures and use them to fight other players. This game was from the old Earth era. One of Bumblebee’s creatures had lost at the hands of a wild creature. “Stupid thing fragging killed me!!” snapped Bumblebee.

“How’d your Torracat die by a paralyzed Cottonee?!” protested Cliffjumper.

“Not gonna let this thing beat me!” snarled Bumblebee.

“Bro, let me ask you something,” called Cliffjumper. “How’d your Torracat get killed by a…it’s paralyzed and it’s a fracking cotton puff! It’s a grass type Pokémon! How did a fire type die at a grass type’s hands?!”

“What’s going on here?” asked Optimus as he walked into the room.

“We’re playing _Pokémon_ _Sun_ right now,” explained Bumblebee, “and my Torracat just died at the hands of a paralyzed Cottonee.”

“Wha…?!” stammered Optimus, who was a beginner _Pokémon_ player, “How…well, you did use it against my newly evolved Brionne, which was a bad idea anyway…”

“Prime, don’t embarrass me,” muttered Bumblebee as he threw a Pokè Ball at the Cottonee. “There, caught it! Fragging stubborn piece of scrap.” His character walked through the flowers to find another Pokémon. It was a yellow-green bird with pom-poms on the wings. “Oh, Primus, it’s an Oricorio!”

“Oh, it’s a Pomwing!” cheered Optimus. The only one laughing at his deliberate misnaming was Optimus.

“Prime,” remarked an unknown voice, “do you remember the episode where Ash caught a Pomwing?”

“Dude,” chuckled Optimus before he was interrupted.

“NO!” roared the voice

“Ow!” laughed Optimus. “Dude, that was in my audiooooOOOOOHH!” He came face to face with a strange bot in the base. He was big, heavyset, mainly gray with a yellow chest unit emblazoned with the Autobot symbol, had half of a T-Rex’s head and neck on his shoulders, the sides and arms of a T-rex acting as non-functional wings on his back, talons for fingers, and a big sword and gun attached to each side of his waist. Cliffjumper and Bumblebee activated their weapons.

“Who are you?! How did you get in here?!” squawked Bumblebee.

“The ‘who’ and ‘how’ are unimportant,” dismissed the intruder. “It’s the ‘why’ that needs to be asked. To answer it in advance, I heard Optimus had magic weapons.”

“Er…yeah. Why do you ask?” gulped Optimus. The intruder drew his gun.

“I’m taking them,” he replied as if it was a fact.

“Whoa! Whoa!” yelped Optimus. “Okay! See, here’s my gun.” He then fired over then intruder’s head, making him duck. He then got behind cover with Bumblebee and Cliffjumper spreading out and taking cover somewhere else in the room. “Hold fire until he fires back!” ordered Optimus. “Stun blasts only!”

“Typical Autobot behavior,” scoffed the intruder. He let a couple of shots loose at their cover.

“FIRE AT WILL!” shouted Optimus. Laser blasts started flying towards the intruder, but there wasn’t even a scratch on the bot. Meanwhile, the intruder looked at the points where his shots hit.

“Not a single scorch mark,” he thought. “What’s this base made of?” He shook his head. “Give up!” he shouted. “You can’t stop me! Eventually, your reserves will be drained! You’ll be defenseless soon! I’ll just keep coming! Even hand to hand combat won’t take me down!” Optimus rolled his optics.

“Time for a test then,” he thought. He drew his Cyber key and flicked it into the air. “CYBER KEY POWER!” This time, the key turned an access port in his back. His forearm armor split and released two halves of a glove on each hand that turned the fingers into talons. He got into a stance that had his left foot forward, his right arm at his optic level in a claw fashion, and his left arm level with his torso unit in a claw fashion. This was the ready stance of Circuit-Su. The intruder arched an eyebrow and smirked.

“A practitioner of Circuit-Su?” he asked. Optimus’ optics widened. “Yep, one of Yoketron’s favored styles. Nice bot, truth be told. I would’ve just stuck with a gun otherwise. Come on, young Prime,” he got into the same stance as Optimus as he tossed away his gun and sword, “let’s see what you’ve got!” He stamped his left foot forward a few times, an intimidation tactic that usually rattles the opponent into making a sloppy strike if it didn’t know that martial art. Optimus held his ground. It served to irritate the bot into making a quick punch. Optimus caught it, then stamped on the intruder’s foot, making him yelp. It served as a distraction to let Optimus throw him completely off balance. He then raked his new talons across the intruders back. This startled the intruder a bit.

“I’m sick of this!” snarled Optimus. He turned the intruder over and slashed across his face. The intruder then covered his face as it started to drip Energon. “I am flat out TIRED of jackholes like YOU coming around and picking a FIGHT with ME!” He then decked the intruder. “You think I give a scrap about your backstory?! You think I care about your endgame?! You think I’m afraid of you?!”

“Slash!” shouted the intruder into his comms unit. “Beam me out of here!” The intruder vanished without a trace in a flash of light.

“I have fought mad scientists, a hive mind, and a tech hating wizard,” proclaimed Optimus, “and I have always been victorious! There is NOTHING that can stop me! NOTHING!” That, my friends, is one of the dumbest things anyone can say. The instant the last syllable left his lips, Optimus felt himself shrink down a bit. He blinked and rubbed his head. It was then that he realized that his fingers were rounded, not pointed like usual. He looked himself over and realized that he wasn’t exactly a…er… “Prime” example of a Cybertronian. “Mirror,” he gulped. Cliffjumper pressed a button on the console near him and a full-length mirror popped out of the floor. The reflection was…different, to say the least. It showed a red, white, and blue bot with a helmet sporting two fins on the front, rounded shoulders with metallic, ridged wheels on the back, a transparent metal panel on either side of his chest unit, and stumpy legs with two wheels on each side. This was Optimus’ form from before he inherited the Matrix. This was Orion Pax. He opened his torso unit and took out the Matrix. “What did I do?!” he yelped, proceeding to slap the Matrix, to no avail. “WHAT DID I DO?!


	11. Chapter 11

Amy was hanging out with Cream on a shopping trip while the intruder attacked Autobot HQ. She had just confirmed that she was the Scarlet Specter. “Amy,” asked Cream, “why would you risk your life like that?”

“I felt like I was depending on Sonic too much,” sighed Amy. “I realized that he won’t always be there to save me, especially now that the Transformers are here. I’ve been practicing a little since I first met my teacher, but with Eggman robbing from dead Transformers, I ramped up my training. He’s planning something, and I want to know what.”

“Just don’t get hurt,” urged Cream. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“I’m not going away anytime soon,” reassured Amy. She pulled Cream into a hug.

“Amy,” quizzed the little rabbit, “do you think I can learn magic?”

“Anyone can learn magic,” replied Amy. “Why?”

“Because I want to learn from you,” answered Cream. Amy smiled.

“That’s sweet of you,” she sighed, “but I’m not at the teaching level yet. The instant I get there, you can be my student.”

“Thank you!” bid Cream with a smile. At that moment, Amy’s phone started buzzing in her purse.

“Er, could you excuse me for a moment?” she asked.

“Of course,” replied Cream. Amy then took the call.

“Hello?” she began.

“Amy, sweetheart, this is Ironhide,” came the familiar Texan drawl. “You mind heading to HQ? We have a situation that requires magic expertise.”

“I’ll be there as fast as I can,” replied Amy. She hung up. “Sorry, Cream, but we have to cut our shopping trip short. The Autobots need me right now.”

“Can I come too?” asked Cream.

“If your mother’s okay with it,” answered Amy.

“If I’m okay with what?” asked a voice. Amy and Cream turned to see Vanilla standing behind them.

“Mother,” asked Cream, “may I go with Amy to the Autobot base? Apparently, they need her help and I haven’t seen them in a while.”

“Of course,” confirmed Vanilla. “Just call me before you’re Bridged back. I don’t want a surprise like last time again.”

“Thank you! I will!” promised Cream.

“Let’s go!” cheered Amy. Cream took her hand as a red mist appeared.

“Are you using magic to get us there?” asked Cream.

“Of course,” confirmed Amy. “It’s my favorite way to travel.” The red mist then enveloped the two and it took off to Autobot HQ. They came through a vent and reformed in the Command center. Cream blinked in surprise.

“What was that?” she said.

“It’s an advanced spell that lets you and people around you move as mist,” explained Amy.

“I don’t know why, but it felt like something hugging me,” mused Cream.

“That would be the spell’s magic,” replied Amy. She turned to Ironhide. “Speaking of which, is there a new magic abuser?”

“Actually,” mumbled Orion as he stepped into view, “this is a different case.”

“Er…I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure,” stammered Amy. She then turned to Ironhide with an annoyed look. “Where’s Prime?!” she whispered harshly. “I told him not to tell anyone I was a witch unless I said it was okay!”

“That IS Optimus,” replied Ironhide. Amy blinked. She turned to Orion.

“Hey, Amy,” sighed Orion.

“Optimus, what happened?” asked Amy.

“Did something bad make you change your armor?” inquired Cream.

“We don’t know,” answered Orion. “And it’s Orion Pax, right now. Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and I had a scuffle with an intruder that had the Autobot symbol on him. He didn’t act like any Autobot I’m familiar with. After the fight, the source of my magic, the Matrix, went kaput. I’ve got Jazz, Ratchet, and Tails trying to figure out what happened, but the process is taking a long time. I know that you said you’re still a few years away from being a full-fledged witch, but I can’t find Trema. Besides, you have more magic experience than me.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” replied Amy. That’s when Jazz came in with a scanning device in his hands. It was white with red highlights and a yellow fan-like device on the top.

“Please tell me you have something,” begged Orion.

“Er, Orion,” gulped Jazz, “here’s the thing. Your Wind Scanner isn’t working.”

“What?!” yelped Orion. “Let me see that!” Jazz handed him the scanner. Orion took it and pressed a button, but all it did was play a woman’s voice.

“I’m not sensing any danger here,” answered the voice. Orion pressed it again. “No enemies around here.” Once more. “‘All quiet on the Western Front’, as the humans said long ago.”

“It’s a toy,” gasped Orion.

“Huh?” asked Ironhide.

“It’s…it’s just a toy again!” answered Orion.

“That’s the result of every item you gave me,” reported Jazz. “I even tested the OOO Driver, nada.” Orion then took a yellow gun out of his subspace.

“Teletraan 1,” ordered Orion, “scan this!” A probe descended from the ceiling and bathed it in a green light. After three seconds of eerie humming, it went back into the ceiling. Teletraan’s avatar popped up on the main monitor.

“Just painted metal and electronics,” he announced. “But isn’t this your Gaburevolver?”

“It is,” replied Orion as he took it.

“Kiddo,” quizzed Ironhide, “what the hoo haw’s going on? I’ve seen you turn into a red Power Ranger with that thing. It works.”

“Kyoryuger,” corrected Orion, “and it’s supposed to work!” He automatically slid a panel on his right forearm to reveal a screen inside it. Writing in Cybertronian appeared on it and Orion pulled a wand out of subspace and first flicked it up, left, right, left, down, up, right, then thrust the point at the Gaburevolver while saying “Facere Imaginem Rerum!”. The room was silent for a few seconds. Nothing happened.

“Pax, what in Sam Hill was that?” asked Ironhide.

“That should have at least sparkled,” muttered Amy.

“I don’t understand,” interjected Cream. “Was Mr. Pax trying to use magic?”

“I was,” confirmed Orion. “It’s a spell called ‘Make This Image Real’…I think. The translation’s iffy.”

“If it’s executed properly,” explained Amy, “a representation of an object, like a toy from a T.V. show, becomes the actual object itself. Most magic users use it on their toys because it’s the closest thing they have to the real thing.”

“Wait, really?!” asked Jazz. “So, why didn’t you guys make a little box with a button on it that says, ‘Stop All Bad Guys Forever and Ever’?”

“Doesn’t work like that, Jazz,” replied Orion. “I don’t even fully comprehend the rules to magic.”

“No one does,” supplied Amy, “not even the Magic Greats.”

“And even on the stuff I HAVE enchanted,” continued Orion, “it’s tricky. It took me ten times to get a working Wind Scanner. The Fourze Driver took MONTHS because, while the spell works, there’s no cosmic energy for the Astro Switches to access and give super powers and equipment to! Primus, I’m still trying to get this thing to work on my Duel Disk! Although, that’s probably because I don’t have anything like hologram projectors. I did try it out on one of my spare cards just to try it out.”

“What happened?” asked Ironhide.

“You know that poster of a monster card I have in my room on Cybertron?” remarked Orion.

“You mean the poster of the Dark Magician Girl card?” replied Jazz. “Wait, that was a card?!”

“Yep,” confirmed Orion. “I don’t think the spell likes being used on things with text.”

“That’s good to know before I make a mistake like that,” mused Amy. At that moment, her eyes went wide. “Orion, do you still have that sonic screwdriver I gave you?”

“Yeah, right here,” replied Orion as he took it out of his subspace. He then got what Amy was driving at and wave it around the Gaburevolver. He then flicked it and got a reading. “I see where you’re coming from,” he realized. “Anything I didn’t originally enchant still works, but now there’s a bigger problem.”

“What’s that?” asked Jazz.

“The base is not as safe as it was,” explained Amy. “Orion and I have a low-level protection spell around here. We’re not strong enough, or skilled enough, to protect people, but the base itself would remain standing. You could detonate a bomb or shoot up the walls and it wouldn’t matter. You wouldn’t even scratch it. We started casting it after Aaron was arrested.”

“However,” continued Orion, “it’s not as strong now. If one person casts it, it will wear out at a fast pace and you need to recast it every three months. If two people cast it, it won’t wear out as fast and just needs to be recast every five years.”

“We’re trying to find another person so it will only need to be recast every seven centuries,” supplied Amy. “Before then, you guys would most likely have already left Mobius.”

“But Orion’s magic went kaput,” reminded Ironhide. “What happens if there’s enough pressure on the spell?”

“It will eventually break and you guys may find yourselves homeless pretty quickly,” explained Amy.

“With the way Orion described the intruder,” gulped Jazz, “that may be possible.”

“I’m more concerned about the one who’s already home,” sighed Orion.

“What do you mean?” asked Cream.

“My weapons are each powered by a Spark,” elaborated Orion. “A mother,” he held up the ax, “and a son,” he held up the gun. “They were unwilling ingredients in a ritual worshipping the Chaos Bringer. Every time I use them, I can hear them whispering in my ear. If the gun’s not firing or the axe blade isn’t forming, I’m afraid something may have happened to them.”

“Oh boy,” shuddered Amy, “messing with the dead, or…partially dead in this instance, is outside of most magic users’ expertise. The only ones who could help on that front would be a Necromancer, and I’m sure you know how weird they can be.”

“Well, where ‘magic’ fails,” called Ratchet as he stepped into the Command Center, “it’s up to science to save the day.”

“What’s up?” asked Orion.

“Everything works on both Arks,” reported Ratchet, “including the sensors. In fact, our little two tailed genius has come up with a way for both computers to check each other in case an analysis misses some data on one of them. If possible, we may be able to get Teletraan 1 and G.U.N.’s computers linked and have an excellent surveillance system.”

“Did they get anything on the weapons and the Matrix?” urged Orion.

“Tails is getting the final readout on the Space Colony ARK right now,” answered Ratchet. “He should be reporting in about…” the communications terminal went off, “…right now!” Ratchet fired up the main monitor and Tails filled the screen. “Well, my genius friend,” he asked, “anything?”

“Sorry,” sighed Tails. “There’s still magic in the artefacts as much as any other time.”

“So, why can’t I access it?!” wailed Orion.

“I have a theory,” mused Tails. “From what I’ve gathered, it sounds like the magic is being…suppressed in a certain area. Somehow, something is preventing the magic from being used.”

“Like what?” asked Amy.

“Well,” replied Tails, “I did some digging and found something in a friend’s computer that looked like blueprints for a device to prevent magic from being used. From the dates on said blueprints, I’d say the idea was conceived after the fight with Aaron. That friend saw the potential damage magic can bring and so wanted to remove it when he was in the area.”

“Okay,” muttered Orion, “I don’t know as ‘friend’ would be a good word if that’s the case. I’d say he’s a bad egg we need to figure out.” As he folded his arms, Orion started thinking. His thoughts then drifted to the ‘bad egg’ comment he had and returned his gaze with Tails, who was nodding to confirm Orion’s suspicions. “You don’t mean…”

“He calls it the Magic Suppressor 9,000 Extreme,” confirmed Tails.

“Well then,” hissed Orion, “I think Sonic and I should pay the good Dr. Eggman a little visit!”


	12. Chapter 12

Eggman was busy with a personal project of his, Project: Couch Potato. He was in a fluffy bathrobe, fluffy slippers, sitting on a couch that was easily straining to hold his weight up, surrounded by 20 snack trays, and watching a show called _When Powers Collide_ , a soap opera with a superhero theme. “But Wall-Smasher, please!” wailed Dyna-Flash, one of the main female leads, a mountain lion, “Ever since you gave me that blood transfusion on that rocky cliff in the wrecked convertible while Mega-Fist’s minions surrounded us, I’ve developed…FEELINGS for you!”

“No, Dyna-Flash!” protested Wall-Smasher, the main lead, a bull. “You are my Lover’s Secretary’s Mistress’s hockey coach! This love…cannot be! But, even so, I’ve developed…FEELINGS…for you as well!”

“Good heavens!” groaned Eggman. “Why can’t the studio just use robots?! They’re more convincing than these twits!” One of his snack trays was polished off. “POPCORN!” he roared. One of his attendant robots got him one in a flash.

“But, out of you, Slip-Silk, and Terra-Drill,” continued Wall-Smasher, “I must confess…I can only choose…!” The show was interrupted by his doorbell. Why an evil city populated by robots has a doorbell, I’ll never know.

“Any distraction would be welcome at this juncture,” Eggman muttered. He got up, opened the door, and found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. The owner looked like a human boy, 16 years old, of Japanese descent, wild looking hair dyed blue, blue eye contacts, a red jacket, jeans, black boots, and black, fingerless gloves exposing the knuckles. The boy grabbed Eggman by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. As the sound of flesh hitting metal reverberated across Robotropolis, Sonic peeked in looking a little concerned for Eggman.

“Who did you sell it to?” asked the boy in a soft, dangerous tone.

“Sell what to who?!” yelped Eggman. “Who are you?!”

“Er…this is Orion Pax,” explained Sonic. “You knew him better as Optimus Prime.”

“Optimus?” repeated Eggman. He then smirked. “You know, you were already committing some borderline race mockery when your holo-form was a hedgehog!” The gun was pressed harder against his nose, making him yelp.

“Tails hacked into your systems and discovered one of your little projects,” snarled Orion. “Your anti-magic shield. When did you finish it and who did you sell it to?”

“What, the Magic Suppressor 9,000 Extreme?” asked Eggman. “That was supposed to be a surprise! In any case, I HAVEN’T finished it! It has a defect against Chaos Energy. I was trying to fix that bug until a certain purple cyclops stole the blue Chaos Emerald I had in my possession!” Orion looked at Sonic who had pulled a device out to test if Eggman was lying.

“Nada,” reported Sonic.

“Slaggit!” swore Orion. “Then why isn’t my magic working?!”

“Well, I don’t know!” cried Eggman. “I’m a scientist! I…wait, if your magic isn’t working, why are you threatening me with a magic gun?”

“Because I can beat you over the head with it!” threatened Orion.

“Whoa! Orion!” protested Sonic.

“If I find out that you managed to lie, even under a lie detector,” Orion gave a soft chuckle, “you’ll be eating that bathrobe!”

“Yes! Yes! I understand!!” yelped Eggman. “All units, let Orion Pax and Sonic exit Robotropolis unharmed!” Orion roughly let Eggman go and stormed out with Sonic following, looking at Eggman apologetically. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, Eggman picked himself up, dusted himself off, and stroked his mustache. “So,” he mused with an evil grin, “his magic isn’t working, I see.”

* * *

Back at the base, Knuckles and the Chaotix Detective Agency had arrived. Amy had told them what had happened. Tails had just come down from the ARK and was waiting in the Command Center. “How do you know that he didn’t sell it to someone months ago?” asked Charmy as he buzzed around Ratchet.

“I don’t know,” muttered Orion. “Gut instinct, I say. If it was sold to someone else, there are still at least three unanswered questions. First, why did that person wait until now to use it? Second, why would Eggman sell an unfinished product? Third, why would I still be affected when I went to visit Eggman?”

“Those are very good points,” rasped Espio as finished his maintenance on his shuriken. “It seems we’re back to square one. Aside from melee weapons, are there any defenses in case the intruder decides to attack again?”

“Well,” recalled Orion, “we DO have those tanks G.U.N. made for Autobot use. They turn into ranged weapons for us.”

“Those?” asked Vector. “I thought they were for public use, so I took the prototype for a joyride. I always wondered why he said I’ve ruined it for you guys. I guess they’re under lock and key now.”

“THEY’RE WHAT?!” roared Orion. “VECTOR, I COULD TURN YOU INTO A SUIT…!”

“Orion!” barked Ironhide. Orion then realized what he just said.

“Vector, I’m sorry,” he apologized, and he meant it. “I don’t know what came over me.” He massaged his temples as he cooled down a bit more. “This whole thing has me spun up like an overwound watch! Grgh! I shouldn’t have told Eggman about my magic not working!”

“Don’t worry!” assured Jazz. “Teletraan can monitor him if he starts something!” A groan escaped Teletraan’s speakers.

“Just like his attempts at locating Shockwave and Metal Sonic?” asked Prowl. “Just like his monitoring of the last Chaos Emerald since Shockwave now has six? Just like all the millions of functions Teletraan 1 does on a daily basis? He’s the most powerful computer Mobius and Cybertron have ever seen, but he doesn’t have infinite computer resources.”

“I hate to sound needy,” sighed Teletraan, “but my CPU is being overclocked as it is.”

“Amy,” interjected Orion, “did you, Tails, and Ratchet find anything to fix this mess?”

“I’m afraid not,” sighed Amy. “Your people’s potential for magic is greater than anything I’ve ever encountered. Heck, Cybertron managed to have raw magic as a fuel source, and it’s powering your ship right now, but it’s based around technology. Technomagic is a new field of study for Mobians.”

“On top of that,” continued Tails, “Ratchet and I are only scratching the surface of magic. It could be ages before we could be of any help to you.”

“Not to belittle our efforts,” replied Ratchet, “but you need an expert in this magic nonsense and we’re not experts at all.” Orion sighed.

“I didn’t want to consider this route, but consider it I must,” he muttered. “Prowl, what are the rules for calling a prisoner in Deep Down Penitentiary?”

“Orion,” urged Prowl, “I must advise against this. Aaron’s not going to like getting a call from you, since you were behind his downfall as a wizard, coupled with the fact that he’s not a man to trust in society.”

“Are you nuts!” yelped Sonic. “You can’t seriously be thinking about asking Aaron for help! He’s not a wizard anymore! He’ll throw all sorts of insults against you!”

“Like we have a choice?” asked Orion. The question hung over their heads for a long time.

* * *

Deep Down Penitentiary is an undersea prison where those that have proven unfit to rejoin society dwell. The location is top secret, visitors are discouraged, and callers are monitored closely. Aaron dwelt in a cell that nestled between a male rhino with anger issues and a female fox that kept asking the guards how they would like to die. When he was in the cell, he would just stand in the center with his back turned. “Hey, Aaron the Magnificent!” called a guard, a female stag beetle.

“It’s…just…Aaron!” hissed Aaron.

“Whatever,” dismissed the guard, “you have someone asking for you. We’ve already approved a voice only call. The caller’s got five minutes.”

“Very well,” he sighed. The radio then turned on and a voice he loathed came to his ears.

“Hey, Aaron,” called Orion in an awkward manner. “You can…probably guess who this is.”

“Yes, I believe I can, Optimus Prime!” snarled Aaron. “Called me just to gloat?!”

“Actually, I have something else in mind,” replied Orion, deciding not to correct him.

“Do you now?!” snapped Aaron. “What else could you want from me?! You’ve taken my freedom, my magic, my sanity, my beard trimming schedule, and my usual hygienic routine!”

“Yeah, life’s tough all over,” replied Orion in a jerkish tone. “I need some information.”

“Why should I help you?!” hissed Aaron.

“I can convince the prison staff to at least let you have a shower and a beard trim,” offered Orion.

“Will you now?” asked Aaron, slightly intrigued.

“If possible, I can also get you a better cell that isn’t next to crazies,” continued Orion. Aaron pondered.

“I’ll take what I can get,” he finally answered. “What do you wish to know?”

“I recently encountered another Autobot,” explained Orion. “However, his first response was to take my magic weapons. After the fight, my magic stopped working. All my attempts to revitalize the artefacts I own have failed and the spells I have in my repertoire don’t even sparkle. Could this guy have put a curse on me?”

“Possibly,” remarked Aaron. “Certain magic users are that powerful. You say every magic item you own is disabled?”

“Well, no,” replied Orion. “Anything I didn’t originally enchant still works just fine.”

“Ah,” said Aaron with a slight smirk. “It’s centered around YOUR magic specifically. I can’t help you on that front, sadly.”

“Then what can I do?” asked Orion.

“If it IS a curse placed on you,” answered Aaron, “you are not strong enough to break it and, loath though I am to admit it, neither would I if I still had magic. If I were you, I’d seek out those more skilled in magic; the Wizards and Witches, the Sorcerers and Mystics who have been around for a lot longer than I.”

“Where can I find them?” quizzed Orion.

“No clue,” replied Aaron. “That’s for you to work out. I heard from one of my fellow inmates that her cousin works at a café in Station Square. Why not start there?”

“Hm, sounds like a good start,” mused Orion. “Haven’t really done any magic user networking since I landed here. Thank you, Aaron. I’ll talk to the warden to get you smelling better down there.” The call ended as Aaron smirked.

“Sucker,” he laughed. “I would have told him for a deodorant stick!”


	13. Chapter 13

“Orion Pax, this has to be the dumbest idea you’ve ever had!” shouted Ironhide as Orion started packing. “You’re just gonna wander around with no vehicle mode for your current frame, no idea where you’re going, and you’re just hoping you’ll find something! Kid, this is nuts!”

“Actually, that café Aaron mentioned is a good start,” mused Amy. “I know the address. Look for a blue hedgehog named Misty.”

“About that,” continued Ironhide, who had a grievance against this whole thing, “are you really gonna take advice from a psycho that tried to kill us?!”

“Well,” answered Orion, “Amy DID just say that the café exists and I don’t think she would hang out with any bad witches. Besides, Misty might give me some magic hotspots across the planet.”

“You’re still going to go on a journey with no weapons and no backup!” wailed Ironhide.

“He’s not totally backup-less,” assured Teletraan. “Both Arks will track his position and get him out if he’s in a jam.”

“On top of that,” replied Orion, “I DID scan a vehicle mode. While it’s not as sleek as my original mode, it serves this frame well. Tails and Ratchet are making some gadgets for me in case I run into trouble.”

“Ask, and ye shall receive!” called Tails’ voice. He was riding the rolling table Ratchet was pushing. For someone so cranky, Ratchet had a grin on his face.

“Who ordered gadgets built by two geniuses?!” he cheered.

“Oooh, does somebody have new toys for me to play with?” asked Orion, acting like a child on Christmas.

“We certainly do!” replied Tails. “So, pay attention. These toys have one or two expensive accessories.”

“‘One or two’? Go on,” urged Orion with a grin.

“…There really is no point in giving you the standard safety lecture, is there?” sighed Ratchet.

“First off,” began Tails as he pointed to a circuit board, “that circuit board will connect you to both Arks and the base. Since the Energon density messes up the normal comms when you go the normal linear route, it sends the signal to the Arks and will direct the call to whoever you want to talk to. Simply tap your comms unit, say who you want to talk to, and you can enjoy a conversation wherever on Mobius you happen to be. Tap it again to close the channel. Hold it down for three seconds to initiate an emergency teleport to get you out of whatever mess you’re in.”

“As for your new weapons,” supplied Ratchet, “it should integrate well with your weapons systems. They’re designed to look like decorative smoke stacks since trucks no longer run on fossil fuels.” Orion took the two smoke stacks and put them on his upper arms. He then lowered a blue visor with an HUD targeting system. He saw a target board and locked onto the center to calibrate them. They rotated to point at the target and Orion fired. The two beams connected at the target and started a small fire.

“Vector tap dancing Prime!” yelped Ironhide as he took a fire extinguisher and emptied the contents onto the target board. Tails allowed himself an evil laugh.

“Good work, you two,” praised Orion. “I might keep them after I get my magic back.”

“Can’t you just wait to tell G.U.N. about this mess or are you gonna keep them in the dark?” asked Ironhide.

“What they don’t know won’t hurt them,” remarked a voice. Everyone turned and saw the weirdest sight ever! They saw Optimus Prime!

“What the?!” yelped Tails.

“Hello, Orion!” greeted the Optimus clone.

“Hello, Optimus!” returned Orion. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing very well,” replied the Optimus clone. “How about you?”

“Fine, given the circumstances,” sighed Orion. “Do you want to explain, or should I?”

“Oh, you and Teletraan should BOTH do it,” encouraged the Optimus clone. “You two do it so well.”

“Thank you!” replied Orion. He turned back to the Autobots. “My friends, say hello to the Holo-droid!”

“I developed him as a decoy in case Egghead decided to invade,” supplied Teletraan. “Don’t worry, you can thank me later.”

“And Teletraan had developed a way to upload memories and mental patterns onto it,” continued Orion. “So, it’s like I never lost my magic!”

“Granted,” sighed Holo-Optimus, “I can’t use magic, but G.U.N. doesn’t need to know.”

“Don’t worry,” assured Orion. “I have planned for everything.”

“Kiddo, I really think you should…!” protested Ironhide.

“Ironhide,” interrupted Orion, “I get that you’re worried about me, but this needs to be done. Someone, somewhere on this planet, can help me fix my magic and I need to find that someone before things get really bad.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” sighed Ironhide.

“Look, G.U.N. will be told that there’s a problem that demands my undivided attention,” assured Orion, “that way, the whole thing can be uninterrupted. I won’t leave right now, but I will be going at 5:30 tomorrow morning.” Ironhide sighed.

“Good luck, then,” he bid.

* * *

5:30 came, Orion’s quiet alarm buzzed him awake. He got out of bed, grabbed his stuff, and headed for the main doors.

“You sure you don’t want everyone here?” asked a voice in a quiet tone. Orion turned to see his best friend leaning against the wall.

“Let’s be honest, dude,” replied Orion in the same quiet tone, “they’ll just say I should take more time to prepare.”

“They’re right, you know,” remarked Jazz. “You shouldn’t leave until you’re absolutely ready.”

“I’ve got the ship and space colony monitoring my position,” assured Orion, “and a crew and friends that I can rely on. I’m good on all fronts.”

“Then, good luck,” bid Jazz. Orion gave a reassuring grin to Jazz and glanced around the base.

“I will be back,” he promised. “When I do, things will be different.” With that, he stepped through the doors, transformed into a futuristic semi-truck, summoned his trailer, and sped off into the early morning.


	14. Chapter 14

Journey’s log. Mobius Date: February 25th, 4017. Stardate: 1622095.38, for _Star Trek_ nerds, like myself. I had met up with Misty, nice girl, by the way, and while she couldn’t help since, as Amy said, technomagic is beyond most Mobians, she did tell me of some magic hotspots on the continents of Chun-nan, Mazuri, and Spagonia, respectively known as Asia, Africa, and Europe in the past. As Station Square was on the east coast of the continent of Imperia, formerly known as North America, I decided to head further East. So, I arrived on an island chain…outside…of…Chun-Nan……I need my compass fixed. In any case, walking around Mobian Japan is quite the interesting experience. There’s still a sense of mysticism and modern society blending together. And, of course, there’s still the best entertainment on the planet. From what Misty has told me, there are Wizards and Witches in the, apparently still in business, Toei Studios. I decided to start there. The cast and crew of a show came out and I explained my plight to them. “So, can you guys do anything?” I asked. I had hoped the fox girl in the lab coat was an actual scientist.

“Well,” mused the fox, “I could add some text to it. Maybe a flash noise or a new coloring job.”

“Wait, aren’t you a scientist?!” I yelped.

“No,” answered the fox. “I’m a manga artist playing a Kamen Rider!” After a few minutes of talking, I found that the fox, Yumiko, had gotten a contract to be the first woman to play the titular Rider in the new _Kamen Rider Quill_. It was a fantasy show with an artist theme. Her default form is a black bodysuit with silver armor and a silver helmet looking like a pen tip with red compound eyes. She fights the evil Cuttrior and his Sinoid generals. Cuttrior wants to tear the world of fiction apart and uses the Sinoids, named after the seven deadly sins, to do so. After obtaining her transformation belt, the Author Driver, Kamen Rider Quill fights to protect her people with art based attacks.

“So, really,” remarked Quill’s suit actor, another fox, “when this ‘Misty’ person told you about Wizards and Witches in _Toei Studios_ , she meant more in the editing department.”

“Any of them actually magic users?” I asked.

“Sorry,” sighed Yumiko. “I have no clue. I’d still ask around.”

“Thank you for your help,” I replied, bowing. After a while, I was given a pass to go into the editing department. After asking around, I found a human Wizard, Takeshi. After I told him the story, he started looking at my gun with a sonic screwdriver he had enchanted. After no results, I suggested the red setting. No results. After Takeshi confirmed he didn’t know much in the way of my people’s connection to magic, I thanked him for his help and headed out of the studio and wandered around Tokyo for a while. It didn’t last long as I heard explosions and screaming citizens.

“SOMEONE HELP!” screamed a woman’s voice. I turned in the direction of the explosions.

“Who, me?” I asked with a grin. I charged headlong towards the source to see a robot. Three guesses who’s controlling it. If you guessed Baldy McNosehair, you win! Eggman had a new robot that looked more like a ball with red circles for eyes and a set of tank treads on the front and back. The Omelette Dictator was laughing in his Egg-mobile when I arrived at the scene. When I clapped optics on his new toy, I was unimpressed. “You’re serious about this?” I said in a deadpan tone.

“Ah, Orion Pax, if I recall!” cheered Eggman. “Say hello to the Eggatron!”

“By the unholy stomach of the Destroyer, what kind of a stupid name is that?!” I sighed.

“Stupid?!” snapped Eggman, offended. “What do you mean stupid?!”

“‘Eggatron’? Dude, you can do better than that!” I wailed.

“Ah, but you don’t know what this baby can do!” giggled Eggman. He then docked his Egg-mobile with the robot.

“Knock it off, Egg-breath!” I hissed as I transformed. “We both know how this is going to end. I’m just going to go over there, tear that thing a new one, and…!” Then…it happened. The rear treads flipped to the sides and segmented into two parts joined by elbows. They sprouted five digited hands. A metal canopy slammed down to protect the pilot. It was sporting a robot version of Eggman’s fat head. The front treads brought the darn thing on two feet. The whole transformation went by so fast that he managed to score a sucker punch! “ARGH! MY NOSE!” I shouted as I massaged my olfactory sensors. I heard Fatso laughing and it seemed to be coming from the robot’s head! It even had facial expressions!

“Something wrong, Orion?!” asked Eggman. “You came here, expecting to fight a simple robot and yet you find…A NEW TRANSFORMER!!” He started laughing.

“The heck is that thing?!” I quizzed.

“This, my young friend,” replied Eggman, “is the result of sifting through Shockwave’s files on cloning! Not really my first option to use a body for a mech suit, but, ‘adopt, adapt, and improve’ is a scientist’s creed.” My optics went wide.

“You discovered our CNA!” I guessed. “You can grow your own T-Cog!”

“Now you understand the implications of simply making my own instead of going through you Autobots when I dig a Cybertronian up,” laughed Eggman. “So, you wanna go a few rounds?!” He slammed his fists together. “Come get some!” I got into a ready stance. Eggman threw a roundhouse kick, which I blocked, leaving me open for a punch. This time, it was to the gut. Then another kick threw me into a building. The military had arrived on the scene and started firing. Eggman switched a red energy shield on and deflected the shots. I got between the reflected shots and the soldiers. Thankfully, it didn’t hurt that much. Eggman took the advantage and slammed both fists onto my back! I fell to the ground. Eggman raised a club, ready to split me open. Something zapped him and made him stop.

“Huh?” I muttered. Then, I saw it…her.

“Well, now,” purred the femme. She was a voluptuous bot with a purple and black color scheme. “Never thought I’d see the great Optimus Prime in a weakened state,” she continued.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Someone who’s…toxic,” hissed the femme. “Though, if you want a name, I’m Blackarachnia.”

“Let me guess, spider holo-form?” I muttered.

“Black Widow, to be precise,” purred Blackarachnia. She then jabbed me in the chest. Something coursed through my tubes as I fell. “See you around, Red, White, and Blue,” remarked Blackarachnia as she took off. I was in a bit of pain for a while. After it passed, I got up, clearing my processor. Eggman had fled, taking his Transformer suit with him. This journey just got crazy.

* * *

Bumblebee headed to Optimus’ office. The Holo-Droid summoned him for some reason that escaped him. He hadn’t done anything wrong, had he? He knocked softly on the door. “Come in,” called Optimus’ voice. Bumblebee came in to see the Holo-Droid looking over something on its temporary desk. It then gave its attention to Bumblebee. “Ah, Bee, good to see you.”

“You wanted to see me?” asked Bumblebee.

“Yeah,” replied the Holo-Droid. “It’s about the rants you give. You know, the ones about your height?”

“What about them?” quizzed Bumblebee.

“It’s starting to get on our nerves, little guy,” explained the Holo-Droid. “So, if you could knock it off, that would be awesome.”

“…Little?” hissed Bumblebee. “Did you say little?!”

“Er, yeah?” confirmed the Holo-Droid.

“……WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN ATOM SIZED…?!” Bumblebee didn’t get very far as the Holo-Droid placed its hand on his chest and made the external image pass into Bumblebee’s chest. He felt fingers wrap around his Spark and started gasping in pain.

“That’s what I was talking about,” hissed the Holo-Droid. “Stop ranting about your height or I won’t release your spark until it stops pulsing!” It then released Bumblebee’s spark and let him collapse. The Holo-Droid then commed someone. “Ratchet, Bee’s got a problem! I think his crystal mail is affecting the stability of his spark! Get here now!”

“On my way!” called Ratchet. Bumblebee passed out.


	15. Chapter 15

Journey’s log. Mobius date: March 22, 4017. Stardate: 1622159.78. I’ve recovered from Blackarachnia’s dose of Cyber-venom, nasty stuff, and have proceeded to leave the continent of Chun-nan. I decided to head to the continent of Spagonia. As I headed towards my destination, I noticed that the place was desert-like, with very few trees, much like the savanna of…of…oh, Primus below! I’m in Mazuri! Africa! I’ve missed my mark again! Still, it’s a magic hotspot, so, let’s check it out. I arrived at a village with the center marked by a tree taller than my robot mode. I could easily climb it. I approached the entrance arch when a Mobian Black Rhino charged at me. I transformed and landed behind him. “FILTHY MACHINE!” roared the rhino.

“To think I thought herbivores were peaceful!” I gulped as the rhino charged. I dodged again, but the rhino turned on a dime and managed to gouge my foot. I started hopping around in pain. The rhino readied for another charge when an old human got in his way.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” bellowed the man. “Let him in, Abeeku.”

“Elder Gwek, you can’t be serious!” snarled the rhino. “That’s a machine!”

“A machine that thinks for itself and understands life!” argued Elder Gwek. “I’ve been expecting him as he needs my assistance. Now, stop antagonizing our guest! You cannot blame all machines for the death of your father!”

“You cannot change my heart so easily, human!” roared Abeeku. From what I observed, addressing someone by their species instead of their name is a grave insult on Mobius. He stormed off and left us while I patched my foot.

“I do apologize for Abeeku,” sighed Gwek. “His father was killed by Eggman’s machines.”

“Eesh, sorry to hear that,” I winced. “Anyways, you said you were expecting me?”

“Takeshi told me you were on a journey to restore your magic,” replied Gwek.

“You spoke with someone from an island chain from Chun-nan?” I quizzed.

“Through a more…magical way,” answered Gwek.

“So, you can help me?” I inquired.

“I can try,” remarked Gwek. “What’s the problem?”

“I’m having trouble syncing up with the artefacts that are the source of my magic,” I explained.

“Let me see them,” said Gwek. I laid down my weapons and the Matrix near him. He walked around and inspected them. “Hm, interesting,” mused Gwek. “I can feel other people in them.”

“The Matrix holds the wisdom of the Primes before me,” I explained. “My weapons were forged in a terrible ritual involving living Cybertronians.”

“Oh dear,” sighed Gwek. He then started chanting something. Must be a spiritual magic user. After his ritual, he turned to me. “I’m sorry, my friend,” he said. “I cannot seem to communicate with the spirits inside these artefacts. Were I younger, we might have had something. Why, in my younger years I would have issued one chant to single-handedly take down an entire army and race across the desert in 2 minutes!” That…seemed like…embellishment.

“Er…is there anyone else to talk to?” I asked.

“I’m afraid not,” replied Gwek. “At least, none that are properly trained. My time as the Elder and Supreme Spiritualist is coming to an end. No one has yet been trained in the latter title and my right-hand man, Kwami, needs more training to take my place as Village Elder.”

“Oh well, thank you anyways,” I sighed. I turned to leave, but someone threw a net on me! The assailant was on me as I struggled to get out of the net. I then felt pinpricks on my chassis. The assailant was trying to probe me for a chink in my armor! I then swung an elbow and the attacker shouted “OW!” It got off me and I managed to break the web. I had to get some of the beastly stuff out of my eyes. When my vision was restored, Blackarachnia was removing damaged dental-plates and making new ones. Yeah, we Cybertronians are like sharks in that regard. We can make new “teeth” to use human expressions. We just do it in a matter of seconds after we remove our old ones.

“You’ll pay for that!” snapped Blackarachnia as she threw her old dental plates to the ground. “I mean it! Dental Plate care’s expensive!”

“I thought your holo-form was a Black Widow!” I snapped. “Ogre Faced Spiders do the net thing!”

“Oh, well, see, I take the abilities from ALL spiders!” answered Blackarachnia. She then pounced on me and was about to expose my neck to her fangs, but I delivered a blow to her optics. “You WOULD strike a lady!” she cried.

“You’ve attacked me,” I argued. “Gender is right out the window!” I then grabbed her arm. “Time to take this fight outside the village!” I flung her out of the village and we dueled in the desert. I got into my usual ready stance, resulting in her laughing.

“I’m the only one with claws here!” she joked. She got into a stance and flexed her claws.

“Oh boy,” I gulped as I remembered my weaker state. Blackarachnia then charged as I adopted a new stance. Her claws flashed as they raked my face. She raised her arm for another attempt, but I drove my forehead into hers, rendering her dizzy. As I charged, she regained her vision and threw a web at my eyes like Spider-Man. “COME ON! AGAIN?! THAT’S CHEATING!” I protested.

“I don’t see any wrestling ropes,” observed Blackarachnia. I got the beastly stuff off my eyes again. “I hope, now, you’ll believe me when I say I only want to talk.”

“After attacking me?!” I snapped. “There’s nothing to talk about!”

“I respectfully disagree,” argued Blackarachnia. “You see, the issue here is patriotism.” I was confused. “You know the old films. Head on back to Cybertron and put an end to the Decepti-Huns. All you need are a few good Bots.”

“What? That nonsense is at least two thousand Earth years behind us!” I countered.

“But, you can’t deny that you Autobots are as warlike as us,” hissed Blackarachnia.

“I DO deny it!” I proclaimed. “We may have held such ideals during the Great War…”

“At which time, you slaughtered millions of us,” interrupted Blackarachnia. “And reconstruction put us in hovels! Since then, there are no indications of improvement for the losers or the so-called ‘mercy’ you Autobots claim is a common value!”

“But, even so,” I argued, “even during that dark time, we’ve begun to make rapid progress!”

“Oh yeah?” remarked Blackarachnia as she took out a knife. “You want to review your ‘rapid progress’? Let’s look at a scene a thousand years ago!” She pressed a button on the handle and a horrible scene played in front of me. It was a scene of the poorer sections of Cybertron, populated by robots who showed the telltale signs of destitution on their chassis’. They were called the Empties by society. Fuel was hard to come by in those areas and spare parts even harder. “Look at them,” directed Blackarachnia, “look for some telltale signs of war.” It was then that I saw the Decepticon symbol on some of the poor wrecks. They looked like they had chemical alterations done to them. “Rapid progress,” scoffed Blackarachnia, “to the point where you bots tried to control us with drugs.” The scene vanished, and we were back in Mazuri. “And then,” continued Blackarachnia, “on finally getting us on our feet, you personally ran off after a law-breaker and got the charges cleared in a night while it takes us days to clear charges! And then, you exposed us to this rock’s natives! Now, here you are, repeating the same old story, doing the wrong thing when things don’t go your way!”

“No, that is not true!” I insisted. “The same old story is what I’m seeing right now! A being who confronts others, not to learn, but to judge, to prosecute, to perpetuate the problem!”

“You clearly have no idea what’s at stake here,” hissed Blackarachnia. “Suppose it turns out I know you too well?”

“I have no fear about what the facts reveal about me,” I proclaimed.

“The facts about you?” cheered Blackarachnia. “You’re a fountain of good ideas! There are preparations to make. But, when we meet in Spagonia, it will be exactly as you suggest.” She turned around. “Blackarachnia, TRANSFORM!” Her front swung upwards as her arms went underneath to make a car front with a spider fang motif. Her legs folded and tucked into her rear to make the trunk of the car and legs came out, pointing themselves forward and back. Her holo-form came up as a Mobian Black Widow. Mobian Spiders have a humanoid body structure with four extra spider legs and the telltale large butts. Her holo-form then entered her vehicle mode by way of a hatch opening like my cockpit as Optimus. “Ta-ta!” bid Blackarachnia as she sped off. As she vanished in the distance, my hand twitched and sparked. I transformed, having been in robot mode for too long.

“All right,” I declared, “Spagonia, it is. Just need to get my nav-computers straightened out.” I then sped off to find one of the northern Mazuri cities.

* * *

The Holo-Droid had terminated a call from the command center. Teletraan 1’s avatar appeared on the screen. “I’m not too sure that’s a good idea, sir,” he stammered.

“I know it’s a bit extreme, but…” assured the Holo-Droid. It was interrupted by an angry Jazz.

“HEY! FAKIMUS PRIME!” he shouted. The “Black” accent was dropped. He sounded more like Worf.

“Hey, Jazz!” called the Holo-Droid. “You know, calling me a fake Prime is kind of rude and…”

“Yeah, it’s rude, as is my interruption,” conceded Jazz, still sounding like Worf. “Do you know what’s ruder? Shoving your hand into someone’s chassis and threatening to offline them!”

“Er, I’m not sure…” stammered the Holo-Droid.

“You’ve adopted my best friend’s tell whenever he lies,” interjected Jazz. “Your dental plates get exposed and you look all over the place! You said that Bumblebee’s crystal mail was destabilizing his spark and were giving the same tell that time!”

“And, let me guess,” sighed the Holo-Droid, dropping the act, “you got the real story from Bumblebee, whozzz manner of zzzzpech, when he liezzzz, didn’t zzzzound like thizzzz.”

“Have you got a screw loose?!” wailed Jazz. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“I don’t know why you’re so upset,” remarked the Holo-Droid. “You get irritated whenever Bumblebee makes a short rant.”

“The rants ARE annoying,” replied Jazz, “but that’s no cause to hurt people!”

“And I don’t WANT to hurt him,” assured the Holo-Droid, “he just needed to get the message that he was getting on everyone’s nerves.”

“You could have KILLED him with that stunt!” shouted Teletraan 1. The Holo-Droid’s face went sour. It turned to the large screen.

“As you can see from the cameras in the med-bay, he’s still alive and is making a full recovery,” it dismissed. “What, pray tell, is your point?”

“You’re malfunctioning!” snapped Teletraan 1. “You’ve been online for too long and the acids in your batteries are leaking into your CPU!”

“Guys, there’s nothing wrong with me,” argued the Holo-Droid.

“Oh yes, there is!” hissed Teletraan 1.

“I have asked all Autobots and they agreed to have the Crisis Act invoked!” continued Jazz. “You’re relieved of command as Ratchet, Tails, and Teletraan give you the once-over to figure out what’s wrong with you!”

“And if I refuse to go along with this, what are YOU going to do?” asked the Holo-Droid.

“Emergency Shut-down Procedure 2: Armed and Engaged!” announced Teletraan 1. There was a silence for a few seconds. “That…should have…shut it down…” stammered Teletraan 1.

“Had it deleted a while ago,” explained the Holo-Droid. The sound of a Photon Rifle being primed filled the room and the Holo-Droid stared down the barrel of said weapon in Jazz’s hands. “Jazz, don’t embarrass yourself,” sighed the Holo-Droid. Jazz fired his weapon one handed. Given that it had no recoil, it was easy to do. He fired again and again and again, to no avail. The shots were simply absorbed. Jazz’s weapon then beeped that it was out of juice.

“All right, then,” declared Jazz as he holstered the weapon and took out his cyber key. The Holo-Droid then slammed its hand into Jazz’s body and threw him back. As Jazz sprawled, the Holo-Droid dusted its hands off.

“Jazz, don’t get in my way again,” it muttered. “It would be a shame if I had to disrupt your vocal processors. How would you sing again?” The Holo-Droid commed Ratchet again. “Ratchet, we had a weapons misfire from Jazz’s Photon Rifle! Jazz was hit! He needs help!”

“On my way, sadist!” hissed Ratchet.

“…Just get Jazz patched up,” sighed the Holo-Droid. It then retreated to Optimus’ office.

* * *

Amy was patrolling a dark forest. Cream had told her that there was something living there that scared her and was the size of the Autobots. Amy took up her Scarlet Specter persona and started looking. The forest choked out any light. “Lux fiat,” said Amy as she made a small orb of light. She soon saw the reason why light wasn’t coming into the forest. Large webs of spider silk choked out the treetops. “A spider colony, great,” muttered Amy.

“Come into my parlor,” purred a voice.

“And I just wandered into a spider trap!” cried Amy. She then noticed something in the web. “Wait, since when did spiders dye their webs blue?” She was then bitten, and something was pumped into her. She passed out in a few seconds. When she regained her vision, she tried to move, only to realize she was cocooned in spider silk and gagged.

“Don’t bother,” assured the purring voice. A Mobian Black Widow stepped out of the shadows. “There’s no escape, pinky,” she purred. “I need you. You see this?” She gestured to a machine. “Impressive, no?” Amy looked at the machine, then shrugged in her cocoon. “And, why, pray tell, are you shrugging?” asked the spider. Amy spoke, still gagged. The spider rolled her eyes, then removed the gag.

“I’ve seen that machine before,” explained Amy.

“You have not!” protested the spider.

“Oh, yes, I have!” answered Amy.

“You’ve seen a mincer of this caliber before?” quizzed the spider. “You know? The things we use to chop up our prey?”

“One, if you WERE a Mobian Spider,” countered Amy, “you would know that cannibalism, especially sexual cannibalism, was long abandoned by species that may have practiced it before their evolution! Two, no one has a machine to mince things! Three, I’ve seen that machine used to turn a large amount of blue crystal into pink liquid in a cube container! Four, I see the Decepticon symbol on your choker! You’re not native to this planet! Are you the stowaway from the _Ark_?!”

“The _Ark_?” scoffed the spider. “He seriously named it that?”

“Well, are you?!” insisted Amy.

“Blackarachnia, stop making the poor girl panic!” boomed an alto voice. Trema, in her Mobian disguise, then came into view. “Amy’s on our side,” she assured.

“Her?!” protested Blackarachnia. “She’s barely up to my ankle! What can she do?!”

“You’d be surprised at what she can do,” remarked Trema. “Now, will you let her go?” Blackarachnia rolled her eyes and sprayed a green gas. The web surrounding Amy turned into powder and she landed on her feet.

“If you can prove your strength, I’ll consider you an ally,” sighed Blackarachnia.

“What kind of proof…?” Amy stopped when a noise came from the cave entrance. “Guys…”

“I hear it too,” replied Trema.

“Spiders?” asked Blackarachnia.

“No, their speech is softer,” answered Amy. “That’s the Scorpion language.”

“Please tell me you understand them,” gulped Trema.

“Mobians can speak up to five languages, aside from English,” explained Amy. “Scorpion is one of the ones I speak. That’s one of the Imperia Scorpion dialects, belonging to the Arizona Hairy Scorpion.” Three aforementioned Scorpions then came in. Much like the other Mobian animals, Mobian Scorpions have a humanoid body shape with five fingers. Their natural armor is the toughest to break. Their tails are wrapped around their waists when not in combat. A large male surveyed the cave and its occupants. A large female bared her teeth. A smaller male folded his arms and licked his teeth. The large male spoke in his native language. Amy bristled, then spoke in the Scorpion’s language. The other Scorpions chuckled.

“You swear well, Hedgehog,” remarked the large male. “It’s a pity you have hair. You would have made a fine warrior.”

“She’s warrior enough!” hissed Trema.

“I have no proof of that,” dismissed the Scorpion.

“Careful,” warned Amy. “Scorpions can use their claws and tails as wrecking balls.”

“If I recall,” mused Blackarachnia, “Scorpions have venom in their tails.”

“You dare call yourselves warriors?” hissed Trema. “You poison and talk and posture but have no TRUE courage or honor! The title of warrior is misplaced on you, your ancestors, and your children!”

“TREMA!” yelped Amy.

“Bad move?” guessed Blackarachnia. The large female and smaller male snarled. The large male stepped slowly to Trema.

“What did you say?” he asked in a dangerous tone.

“I said Scorpions of all generations are cowards!” growled Trema.

“That’s what I thought you said,” rumbled the large male. His fingers then turned into the telltale claws that mark the scorpion and smashed into her ribs with them while giving a roar. The large female and smaller male turned their hands into claws and all Scorpions raised their tails. Trema then summoned long, arm mounted swords while Blackarachnia raised herself on her spider legs and Amy summoned her hammer. The two sides charged at each other and battle was joined. Blackarachnia was taking on the large female and Amy took on the small male. Amy’s hammer was slammed into her opponent’s side, pinning him into the wall. The tail flailed wildly to try and sting her, but it didn’t reach her. Blackarachnia stayed above her opponent while she took a few stalactites from the ceiling and threw them at her. The female’s tail was then thrust upwards, but Blackarachnia dodged and caught it under the main stinger.

“Look out!” warned Blackarachnia to Amy. Amy got out of the way as the large female was tossed into the smaller male.

“WATCH IT, MOTHER!” he roared.

“YOU WATCH IT!” shouted the large female. Trema’s blades kept the stinger and claws of her opponent at bay. Soon, the large male made a mistake. He raised his arms to smash his claws down onto Trema’s head, leaving him open to her blades. A Mobian Scorpion’s natural armor is one of the toughest materials around. No blade on Mobius could pierce it, only bullets and laser blasts. Trema and her swords, an individual blade named the Ban’graza, meaning “Honored Metal”, are NOT from Mobius. Her left Ban’graza deliberately missed vital organs as it pierced the large male’s armor. Battle was halted as the noise of a blade piercing armor rang throughout the cave. Even Trema’s allies were surprised.

“FATHER!” cried the small male. Both Scorpions ran towards the large male.

“You…stabbed me!” he winced as he was being picked up.

“Don’t be such a baby,” dismissed Trema. “I could have aimed for a vital organ.”

“No sword on this planet has stabbed a Scorpion!” snarled the large male.

“My weapons and I aren’t from this planet,” replied Trema, “and neither is the spider.” The Scorpions arched an eyebrow. “Est verum forma,” chanted Trema. She leapt out of the cave and grew into her real form and Blackarachnia’s vehicle mode rolled out as her holo-form disappeared. She then transformed, making her way out of the cave. Trema and Blackarachnia then towered over everyone. “What is your name?” asked Trema.

“I am Rex, son of Alex!” replied the large male Scorpion as his family patched his wound.

“I am Trema Xarthanax of Nebulos, mother of Galan, Witch of the Green Order,” introduced Trema.

“Well, Trema Xarthanax of Nebulos, mother of Galan, Witch of the Green Order, know this!” hissed Rex. “You have forced a Scorpion to molt! You have forced me to shed my armor and be weak! This is an insult a Scorpion will neither forgive nor forget!” He then spoke in the Scorpion language to his family and they took off. The three girls then caught their breath.

“That could have gone better,” sighed Trema.

“I always assumed you were a Mobian Rabbit,” replied Blackarachnia. “My mistake.” She then placed her hand over her spark. “By the rings, asteroid, and twin moons of Nebulos, I honor and greet you.”

“By the twin moons of Cybertron, I honor and greet you,” returned Trema.

“Is…that a greeting?” asked Amy.

“Formal Nebulan greeting,” explained Trema. “I’m surprised I didn’t teach you that.”

“You were busy in helping Sira teach me magic,” replied Amy.

“You’re a witch too?!” yelped Blackarachnia. “Is everyone on this planet magically inclined?! On Cybertron, it’s just a few of us!”

“The proportions of magically inclined to those that aren’t are the same as that on Cybertron,” answered Trema. “Mobius just has more people than you do. In any case, I believe Ms. Rose here has proved herself.” Blackarachnia sighed. She couldn’t come up with a good argument.

“All right, fine,” she conceded. “There IS more to her than meets the eye. I’m sorry for treating you like spider food.”

“Accepted,” replied Amy.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta harass Orion in Spagonia,” answered Blackarachnia as she transformed. She then sped off through a Ground Bridge. As the vortex closed, Amy started thinking on what she said.

“Is she supposed to do that?” she asked Trema.

“Someone was supposed to,” replied Trema. “If she can get Orion to his final stop, then this whole thing will result in a more powerful Prime.”

“I hope so,” sighed Amy. “Because, if it doesn’t, Shockwave and Metal Sonic will go through with who knows what.”


	16. Chapter 16

Journey’s log. Mobius date: March 31, 4017. Stardate: 1622183.34. I’m finally in Spagonia, Mobian Europe. I started in the British Isles, what with magic being strongest there. I wound up at Spagonia University, with a Professor Pickle leading my holo-form to his study. He showed me a map of all Spagonia and all the magic hotspots on the continent. The greatest one was near Stonehenge. There was a well-known magic school on a field trip there, so I asked the staff and students for help. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do well. Technomagic was beyond that school. They pointed out that the hotspot in Soleanna may help. It was night when I arrived, and a festival was going on. Soleanna was Mediterranean in design, with rivers going through the city. The buildings and towers were well-lit, and fireworks were going off. It looked like the people were in prayer, and a boat was going through the rivers to a central altar. The boat had ballet dancers in yellow dresses on the bow. A young woman was standing behind the dancers and waving as the people cheered. She was a brunette in a simple white dress with her hair adorned by feathers on each side. I couldn’t fathom what was going on, so I tapped a woman’s shoulder. She wore some sort of black ball gown with white trim and disconnected sleeves. Her rose adorned head turned to me. “I’m not native to Soleanna,” I began. “What’s the particular reason behind this festival?”

“It’s the Festival of the Sun,” explained the woman. “It’s where we pay homage to our Patron Deity and God of the Sun, Solaris. Quiet now! That woman over on the boat, Princess Elise, is about to give the Final Prayer!” The woman, Elise, was greeted by a Bishop and handed a torch. Before she lit the altar, she made a prayer.

“We give thanks for the blessed flames. May we always continue to have peace. Sun of Soleanna, guide and watch over us with your eternal light,” she proclaimed. She then lit the altar and the flames wove into a beautiful design. More fireworks were launched, and the city cheered. I then felt something on my vehicle mode’s trailer bed. My vehicle mode was tossed into the air. I transformed to get a better landing. I then realized that gravity was going to put me in the river.

“LOOK OUT!” I shouted. Everyone got away from the splash radius. I got up once I regained control. I hadn’t prepared myself for an underwater environment, so I was coughing up water for a bit.

“Well, you made quite the splash,” joked Blackarachnia’s voice. I finally looked up at the bridge to see her in robot mode.

“And, you interrupted the humans’ enjoyment, why?” I hissed.

“You were the one who landed in the drink,” observed Blackarachnia. She then drew out a laser launcher and leveled it at the altar. The crowd gasped, the lady whose shoulder I tapped flew through the air and landed at the altar just as Blackarachnia pulled the trigger and let a shot fly.

“Defendere!” she chanted as she cast a large, red energy shield. The shot was absorbed. Blackarachnia snarled. “Machine Woman, you have disturbed your opponent’s attempt to enjoy a long-standing tradition of this country! How dare you!”

“You have interfered with my actions!” hissed Blackarachnia. “You will pay!” she raised her claws to strike.

“Not here!” I demanded. I got between her and the altar. Blackarachnia still advanced. “Didn’t you hear me?! Take it out of the city!”

“You wouldn’t dare interfere here!” snarled Blackarachnia. “It might shatter the Pax Cybertronia.”

“I’ve got 4.37 light-years to bring you back to Cybertron!” I hissed. “I might risk it!”

“The universe respected us when they saw us,” growled Blackarachnia, “and it shall do so again!”

“Freedom is the right of all sentient beings!” I snarled.

“Then, follow through with that, and stay out of my way!” shouted Blackarachnia. “I have freedom to conquer!”

“And, I have freedom to stop you from doing that!” I replied. I grappled her, then activated my flight jets, taking us out of the city. We were flying towards the eastern forested area. After I plowed through a few trees with her in front, Blackarachnia jabbed her claws into me and injected more cyber-venom.

“You still cling to methods that are archaic in origin!” she hissed. “Mercy? Duty? Honor? Justice? That led us to corruption in the High Council! All they do is talk and talk and talk and never get anything done!”

“No, the Council DID get things done!” I protested.

“Did the image the Chrono-knife showed us last time mean nothing?!” shouted Blackarachnia. “Your values have just proven worthless as you don’t act on them! Enjoy rusting alone on this Primus-forsaken rock!” She transformed and sped off. Please, let that be the last time I see her!

* * *

“Well,” sighed the woman that protected Elise, “that could have gone worse.”

“Could have gone worse?!” protested the Bishop. “Sira, those robots nearly splashed everyone! The dark one almost killed the Princess! I’m surprised you came tonight and were fast enough to protect her!”

“I just had a feeling I needed to attend this year,” replied Sira. “Besides, is Elise still alive?”

“Well, obviously!” answered Princess Elise.

“Then, no harm, no foul,” assured Sira. “Besides, I was expecting the male robot. He needs guidance. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Natalie is expecting me later tonight for a private celebration. Go on, be merry, and enjoy yourself. The people need to see that you can find joy in adversity.” She then became red mist and flew to the north.

“Strangest woman in our history,” muttered the Bishop. “Your Highness, do we continue?”

“I see no reason to stop the festival over a mere altercation that resulted in no deaths and only wet clothes,” replied Elise. “My people, Solaris has blessed us with first contact with the Transformers and it didn’t result in someone getting hurt, as our reporters in the field would have found in their respective countries. We have no need to fear them and will continue to have peace. Enjoy yourselves!” The declaration was well received.

* * *

“I’m not sure HOW a Holo-Droid can sleep,” remarked Ratchet as he shut the door behind him, “but, it IS sleeping. We should be able to talk in peace.” Sonic and his friends were assembled in the Med-Bay with the Autobots. The truth was out.

“We gotta do something about that thing!” muttered Ironhide.

“Well, going at it half-cocked with a Photon Rifle isn’t going to work,” replied Cliffjumper.

“Okay, yes, that was stupid!” hissed Jazz, getting a little irritated about that maneuver. “At the very least, I should have found the doo-dad that powers it, but I was being too hotheaded! Can we drop it?!”

“You WERE shooting at the doo-dad that powers it,” answered Tails. “It was just protected by Optimus’ image.”

“Mind explaining?” asked Jazz.

“The Holo-Droid’s image,” lectured Tails, “is made up of lights and forcefields, creating something we’ve been trying for centuries to make, hard light holograms. Its holo-emitters are on the endoskeleton and project a perfect image of Optimus around itself. For all intents and purposes, it’s a walking force-field.”

“Is there anything you and Ratchet can cook up to switch it off?” quizzed Sonic.

“Sadly, we’re still coming up short on that score,” sighed Ratchet.

“How does it run?” asked Prowl.

“Energon, like us, why?” wondered Ratchet.

“Then, we may stand a chance with a frontal assault,” replied Prowl.

“But, Tails just said nothing can hurt it, Mr. Prowl,” reminded Cream.

“We need larger, more powerful weapons,” explained Prowl. “It’s impervious, but not unstoppable. Ratchet provided me a critical piece of the puzzle.”

“I get it!” realized Ironhide. “we drain the thing’s energy banks, it’s vulnerable!”

“And constant, sustained attacks will do it,” confirmed Prowl, “we just need to survive long enough to see it through.

“We haven’t done Team Blasts in a while,” mused Amy. “This may be a good time.”

“Team Blasts?” asked Prowl.

“Concentrated attacks that rely on the entire team,” explained Sonic. “Each team has one. Me, Tails, and Knuckles call ours the Sonic Overdrive.”

“And we DID all get a Cyber Key,” recalled Bumblebee. “Now’s a good time to test them.”

“Perfect!” cheered Prowl. “We’ll also need Teletraan 1 to help coordinate the assault and get us in lockdown until we’ve dealt with the Holo-Droid.”

“…I don’t think that’s a good idea right now,” winced Tails. He pulled up a screen to see Teletraan 1’s avatar drunkenly weeping.

“MICHAEL BAY’S NOT MAKING MOVIES ANYMORE!” he wailed and then drunk from a hip flask before the image faded away.

“…Isn’t he already dead?” asked Ironhide. “It IS 4017, ain’t it?”

“What I don’t understand,” remarked Tails, “is that Teletraan’s got various filters to prevent himself from taking in too much Energon. How is he drunk?”

“Tails, ever since I landed here,” answered Ratchet, “I’ve learned not to question some things. Just help me get him sobered up and ready.”

“When that’s done, we’ll need some time to plan,” declared Prowl.

“Make it happen, people!” ordered Jazz. “This whole mess went down when an intruder slipped by our sensors and I DON’T want this incident weakening us!”


	17. Chapter 17

Journey’s log. Mobius date: April 1, 4017. Stardate: 1622185.96. After the events of last night, I started asking around for magic folk and, to my surprise, the lady who defended Elise from Blackarachnia was the one I should have asked for in the first place. She’s called Sira and she’s the Grand High Witch of Mobius. She lives in the Northern Edge of the city I was in last night and…what I saw wasn’t what I expected. Let me explain, the Grand High Witch of Cybertron, a title reserved for the most powerful Witch, usually lived in a remote cave. Sira, on the other hand? Opulent mansion. I arrived at the gate and pressed the call button. A human woman’s face filled the screen. She wore a blue pixie cut and was in some sort of maid’s uniform. “May I help you?” she asked.

“Er, this is gonna sound weird,” I stammered, “but I’m an alien robot looking for the Grand High Witch, Sira, and I was…told…she lived…here…” My voice trailed off.

“Ah! Orion Pax, correct?” quizzed the maid. My holo-form’s optics went wide. “Lady Sira’s expecting you. One minute. Parvus!”

“The Shrinking Spell?! What for?!” I yelped as I shrunk down to the size of a Mini-con.

“Lady Sira prefers to talk to young ones at the same level,” explained the maid. “Please meet me at the front door.” She ended the call and opened the gate. I transformed into my now human height and headed to the door. It opened to reveal the maid. I initially thought it was just a maid outfit, but it seemed to be a blend of maid outfit and ballgown. “Lady Sira is in her garden,” she reported. “This way, please.” She led me through the mansion and out the back door into a rose garden maze. “Now, how did she arrange the path to the center this time?”

“I beg your pardon, Ms.…” I floundered.

“Oh, how rude,” the maid admonished. “I’m Natalie, Sira’s wife.” I arched my eyebrow, again, I may add. I’ve been doing it ever since I came up to the gate. “Oh, we make it work,” assured Natalie. “Being the maid has been a hobby while being an eccentric billionaire became a hobby for Sira.”

“So, why call her Lady Sira?” I asked.

“It’s become a pet name,” Natalie explained as she led me through the maze. We hit a dead-end. “No easy path this time, eh?” she mused. “Lady Sira loves to change the path to the center after a week. She does with her eyes closed. Wants to test her brain so she can get to her favorite spot in the center. Odd though, considering she’s of the Red Order.”

“…Mages of one Order can use spells from another,” I muttered, trying to go along with it. “It’s just slightly more difficult.”

“True, I’ve used water spells from time to time,” replied Natalie as we went down another path. “And I’m a witch of the Purple Order!”

“Right,” I gulped. Soon, we found the center. Sira was sitting at a table with two chairs, looking upwards. Natalie cleared her throat. Sira turned to see us.

“Ah, young Pax,” she greeted. “That will be all, Sweet Natalie.” Natalie curtsied and left. Sira gave me a small smile. “Lovely girl,” she sighed.

“I’m…sure she makes…a fine wife for you…” I replied, still thrown off by Sira’s residence.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“This…isn’t what I expected from the Grand High Witch of Mobius,” I muttered.

“It’s our planet’s 41st century,” remarked Sira. “Did you expect the Grand High Witch to live in a cave, cackling over a cauldron of green goo?”

“Well, it’s what Cybertron’s Grand High Witch does!” I answered.

“…You’re joking, I hope,” mumbled Sira.

“No, I’m not,” I answered.

“Right then,” sighed Sira. “I need to speak with Slapdash when the Universal Council of Witches meets again.” She then shook her head. “In any case, please, sit. Tell me your woes.” Finally! Some groundwork! I sat down.

“My magic just stopped working a while ago,” I explained. “Everything I enchanted...stopped, for lack of a better term. I can’t access the wisdom of the 1st 13 Primes and the spells in my repertoire won’t even sparkle. Heck, my weapons aren’t even working!”

“Uh HUH,” replied Sira. “Let me see them, wisdom vessel and weapons.” I took out the Matrix and my weapons and laid them on the table. Sira then picked up the Matrix and looked it over, making several “hms” along the way.

“Er, it was how I…” I started to explain.

“Quiet, please,” instructed Sira, “I’m talking to Solus Prime.”

“WHAT?!” I yelped. “I didn’t tell you about the…!”

“I said, quiet!” hissed Sira. She then picked up the gun. “Was he always this bad?” she asked it.

“Are you gonna talk to…?” I quizzed.

“Button it!” snapped Sira. She then looked at my axe. “Lost cause, huh?” she asked it. “One minute, let me confirm that.” She took out six six-sided dice and one ten-sided die. She shook them in her hands and then released them. They landed on low numbers. “Oh dear,” she moaned.

“What?!” I asked.

“Shush!” hissed Sira. She then grabbed my chin and turned my head. “Yep, just as I thought.”

“Um,” I said.

“Can’t go five minutes without flapping your lips, can you?” remarked Sira. She released my chin. “But, that’s all right. It’s a classic symptom.”

“Symptom of what?” I quizzed.

“What the problem is,” explained Sira. “I’ve seen this kind of thing before, in the history books. Your implements could as well. Did you know the gun was called Pacemaker and the axe was called Blade Dancer?”

“I…well, no,” I floundered. “I’ve been trying to find out.”

“That’s because you haven’t unlocked their full potential yet,” answered Sira. “Good thing, too, in this instance. If you had, and this happened, you’d have been too far gone.”

“Meaning?” I asked.

“The problem isn’t with your magic, the problem is with you,” replied Sira.

“I don’t follow,” I said.

“All right, then, simple words for a simple bot!” sighed Sira. “You’re! Turning! Evil!” …WHAT?!

* * *

The bot that attacked the Autobot base was back in his crashed ship. He looked a bit tired. “I couldn’t get him to use his magic!” he snarled. “I just couldn’t…! Chill out. Now’s not the time for a rampage.”

“Good mantra,” replied a woman’s voice in a permanent growl. “Welcome back, Grimlock.” A Femme red, grey, and gold with a blue face and Velociraptor bits stepped out.

“Thanks, Slash,” bid the bot, Grimlock. “How long was I gone?”

“About 48 days now,” answered Slash.

“48 days from the ship?” chuckled Grimlock. “Wow, that Energon field you made only started sparking when I saw the ship a minute ago.”

“I am already making adjustments,” reported Slash. “Were you able to get the young Prime angry?”

“No, just annoyed,” sighed Grimlock. “Apparently, he’s got a lot on his mind.”

“Grimlock? Is that you?” asked a voice. Another bot came it. It was in a color scheme like Grimlock and Slash’s and had Pteranodon parts.

“Swoop, good to see you,” greeted Grimlock.

“Ah, good, I can tell you what I found,” cheered Swoop. “I discovered footage of Optimus going toe to toe against a certain Cyclops that gave us our current alt-modes.”

“Shockwave’s alive?!” snarled Grimlock.

“Yes,” replied Swoop, “however, she was beaten, truly beaten.” Grimlock smiled.

“A kid tangled with Shockwave and beat her?” he chuckled. “Interesting.”

“Perhaps we should avoid this one,” suggested Slash.

“Oh, no, we shouldn’t,” argued Grimlock. “If this kid can take on the strongest and smartest Decepticon, it is IMPERATIVE we get his weapons up to full power. Besides, they’re the last two we need.” He looked at the wall of weapons.


	18. Chapter 18

Journey’s log. Supplemental. Sira had just dropped the mother of absurdities on me! “Turning…evil?” I repeated. “…No, I’m not!”

“You most certainly are!” replied Sira. “I’ve seen this happen numerous times. You’re arrogant, power-hungry, and so deluded, you can’t even see it! You don’t value another’s opinions and your selfishness and ego are getting to a point where you won’t see anyone but yourself, not even your loved ones.”

“This is absurd!” I snapped as I got up. “You’re probably not even a real Witch! This whole thing must have been…”

“SILENCE!” roared Sira as she got up. She did the whole scary Gandalf convincing Bilbo to give up the Ring thing as the area went dark. “It is NOT wise to argue with a Mage of any Order, for we have little patience and a LOT of power!” she continued in a booming voice. She then took a deep breath and the area went back to its old lighting. “And it’s power that’s the issue here,” she sighed in her usual voice. “Magic IS a power, but so many people view it as a path to gaining MORE power! Domination over others! Massacre and murder! Just being wicked in general! Magic, on the other hand, is a fickle thing. It CAN’T be used in that manner. Hell, it doesn’t WANT to!”

“Doesn’t want to? What do you mean?” I asked.

“Magic is alive, in a sense,” explained Sira. “Mages ranging from a simple Parlor Magician to ones of our caliber have existed since the dawn of the universe. Tell me, how many history books on Cybertron alone did you crack open and discover that the Great Evil Wing, the Black Steeled Wizard of Ultimate Badness, had made the world his dominion, or some such nonsense like that?”

“I…er…I guess I…haven’t…thought about it…” I stammered.

“That’s because you’ve been focused on YOUR problems!” answered Sira. “Magic is a living thing tied to a mage’s essence, their very soul! It wants to be used to defend, to help, to heal. It flat-out refuses to be used to actively or passively hurt someone! The soul, the very thing that powers magic, knows the difference between right and wrong, even if the mind is too clouded to tell.”

“That didn’t seem to stop Aaron earlier in his life!” I argued. Sira sighed.

“My former student was old when Mobian society was young,” she replied. I was surprised to hear she taught Aaron magic, but thought it best not to go on that tangent. Sira wasn’t in any mood for it. “His power was beyond anything any mage has seen before or since. My point is this: it’s extremely rare for someone to break the rules like that. The accounts I’ve heard on that subject, I could count them on one finger.”

“But, what about curses?! Dark magic?!” I snapped. “Primus shield me from lying, my weapons were forged in a terrible ritual!”

“When something like that happens,” explained Sira, “the people performing it are granted magic from another world that could allow them to break the rules like that. A dark, demonic world that can’t exist in our plane of reality. A god or demon makes a bargain with some poor sap, conveniently ‘forgetting’ about mentioning a price until it’s too late.”

“So, what, you’re telling me that my connection to magic went kaput,” I quizzed, “because my Spark knew I became a bad guy?!”

“No,” answered Sira. “It hadn’t happened yet. Someone decided to speed up the process before it got that far.”

“Who?” I asked. Sira then waved her hand over my weapons and the Matrix. “You mean, the Primes, Pacemaker, and Blade Dancer did this?”

“They’re worried about you, worried about what you might become,” sighed Sira.

“I am not turning evil!” I insisted.

“Oh, really?!” argued Sira. “How many times did you use your power selfishly?!” I was about to say never, then a memory played out. It was when we found Fwuffy on the _Ark_.

“Optimus, I really must protest keeping the Poozit with us!” – Prowl.

“Who’s Prime?” – Me.

“How many times did you lash out at and threaten unreasonably?!” asked Sira. Another memory played. It was before I spoke with Aaron last.

“Those things? I thought they were for public use, so I took the prototype for a joyride. I always wondered why Commander Tower said I’ve ruined it for you guys. I guess they’re under lock and key now.” – Vector.

“THEY’RE WHAT?! VECTOR, I COULD TURN YOU INTO A SUIT…!” – Me.

“Orion!” – Ironhide.

“How many times did you put your problems above others?!” inquired Sira. My last conversation with Aaron played out.

“What else could you want from me?! You’ve taken my freedom, my magic, my sanity, my beard trimming schedule, and my usual hygienic routine!” – Aaron.

“Yeah, life’s tough all over. I need some information.” – Me.

“And how many times did you assume that your solutions were the right ones?! That your answers were the only ones?!” hissed Sira. The conversation the day before my departure played out.

“Kiddo, I really think you should…!” – Ironhide.

“Ironhide, I get that you’re worried about me, but this needs to be done. Someone, somewhere on this planet, can help me fix my magic and I need to find that someone before things get really bad.” – Me.

“Do you ignore another’s suffering?!” quizzed Sira. My last bout with Blackarachnia last night played out.

“All they do is talk and talk and talk and never get anything done!” – Blackarachnia.

“No, the Council DID get things done!” – Me.

“Did the image the Chrono-knife showed us last time mean nothing?!” – Blackarachnia.

“Or are you just off in your own little world when people are trying to get you to listen for five damned minutes?!” snapped Sira. My christening of the ship then played out.

“Yeah, but the reason people voted for _Watchful_ was because they didn’t want to call it a name like the space colony.” – Ratchet.

“Yes, but, it’s not their ship now, is it?!” – Me.

“Our actions and thoughts shape who we are,” finished Sira. “Believe me when I say, yours are NOT shaping up to that of a hero. I suggest you stay here and reexamine your Spark, because you are going to need to help yourself.” She then turned into red mist like Amy does and flew to the main mansion, disappearing over the rose hedge maze. I sat alone, contemplating her words.

* * *

“Amy, you must understand, this is a lot to take in,” muttered Trema.

“I’m sorry, Master Trema,” insisted Amy, “but this isn’t up for debate! The Holo-Droid’s lost it! It nearly killed Bumblebee! It’s contacting Cybertron a lot to request military hardware!”

“But my access to the base was revoked!” reminded Trema. “No way is the Holo-Droid going to let me pass!”

“Considering we’re trying to bring it down,” remarked Amy, “I don’t think its opinion of you matters.” Trema considered. She then sighed.

“Very well, I will help,” she sighed. “But, after that, it’s up to Orion whether or not I can visit.” There was a knock on her door. “Hide yourself, I’m expecting someone,” urged Trema.

“Abscondam,” chanted Amy. She then turned invisible.

“Mutatio Figura,” Trema cast as she went from her natural Nebulan state to her Mobian disguise. The knock returned. “Enter,” rumbled Trema. A female Warrior-hog came in, baring her teeth.

“I have come for my son’s Honor Knife!” she barked. “Hand it over, or I will take it from you!”

“Now that you are here, and I have confirmation that your son has paid his debt,” whispered Trema as she held the knife she took from the café, “I have no further need of it.” She handed the knife over.

“…You rob my son of his honor just to get my attention?!” snarled the Warrior-hog.

“You cannot take away what someone does not have,” hissed Trema.

“Are you saying my son is without honor?” asked the Warrior-hog.

“I am saying your son is a coward and a liar!” replied Trema.

“And what of his mother?!” called the Warrior-hog.

“That remains to be seen,” remarked Trema.

“…Tell me, rabbit,” instructed the Warrior-hog, “what have I done to earn your disrespect?”

“The misdeeds I have heard from my colleagues speak for themselves!” snarled Trema. “Attacking a Scorpion Model! Detaining and searching vehicles without warning or provocation! And you, executing one of your men when he refused to destroy a G.U.N. convoy!”

“Whatever we have done,” insisted the Warrior-hog, “is in the name of security and safety for our honor!”

“You must think me a fool to make your lies so clear!” snapped Trema.

“I do not wish to quarrel with one who speaks and acts like a warrior!” replied the Warrior-hog.

“Neither do I!” answered Trema. “I am sure your species DO have honor and a proud tradition, but I must know why you act this way!”

“We are acting the way we do,” explained the Warrior-hog, “because we have been hunted in the past and refuse to be so weak in the future. That is all you need know!”

“Mobians and Humans are both Apex Predators!” snapped Trema. “There is no need for you to act this way!”

“I’ve heard enough!” snarled the Warrior-hog. “I have what I came for. Pray that we don’t cross paths again!” She then left without another word.

“Damn her!” swore Trema as she cancelled the spell.

“No point in trying to change her,” sighed Amy as she cancelled her spell. “We gotta get going.”


	19. Chapter 19

Journey’s log. Supplemental. I have been…unable…to try and…puzzle out…oh, for Primus’ sake, who am I kidding?! I know damn well what Sira said! And, looking over my past actions over the past few years, I can’t blame her for saying that. What have I done? I’m surprised Jazz and Ironhide, my closest allies, put up with that. At this point, I wish Jazz invoked the Crisis Act. “What did I do?” I asked aloud. “What did I do to cause something so unpleasant?”

“I think you can answer that yourself,” replied a motherly voice. I whirled around to see two bluish, transparent bots. Their legs were replaced by ghost tails. One of the bots was a femme in a dancer’s armor and the other was a stocky mech with medical markings. I was confused, then remembered the names that were used for my weapons. I pointed to the femme.

“Blade Dancer?” I asked. She nodded. “Then, YOU,” I said, pointing to the mech, “are Pacemaker.”

“That’s right,” confirmed the mech. Time seemed to stop for us as we looked at each other.

“Er, can you sit down?” I asked.

“We can,” assured Blade Dancer. I offered my seat to her and she sat down as if she were still alive. Pacemaker took the other seat. As I stood, they gave me warm smiles. I wasn’t sure I deserved them.

“I made a humungous mess of things, haven’t I?” I sighed.

“Yep, no painting over that one,” remarked Pacemaker.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” I asked. “Never make mistakes? Never raise my voice? Never get angry at anything? Never lie or take a shortcut? Act like a goodie-two-pedes?”

“Of course not. Not even the Primes are that perfect,” replied Blade Dancer.

“THEN WHAT IN THE PIT DO YOU AND THE PRIMES WANT FROM ME?!” I shouted. “I…I just don’t know what to do! What can I do to make this right again?!”

“We want you to be better,” answered another voice. I jumped and whirled to see Solus Prime behind me.

“Yeah, that’s helpful,” I snarked as I tried to slow my Sparkrate.

“You know the problem,” explained Solus, “now you can find the solution.”

“…Yeah, knowing the problem makes a solution easier,” I conceded.

“Pacemaker and I were holding back because we weren’t sure about you,” answered Blade Dancer.

“We didn’t know what would happen if we cut loose,” continued Pacemaker.

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” I sighed. “Maybe Sira underestimated how far along I went on an evil path and you should snuff my Spark before I get worse.”

“Did you really just say that?” hissed Pacemaker.

“In front of a medic, a dancer, and a Prime, no less?” asked Blade Dancer.

“Orion, you’re our partner,” assured Solus. “You’re our friend. As Jazz has been demonstrating since you met him, you don’t leave friends hanging. You help them, try to make them better.”

“And, if you can’t?” I asked.

“Then, at least we made the effort,” replied Blade Dancer. “So, what’s the next stage?”

“I need to be more mindful, think a little before acting and speaking,” I declared.

“You won’t try to do so?” asked Solus.

“While I may lean more to _Star Trek_ ,” I replied, “I can’t deny Yoda’s wisdom. ‘Do, or do not. There is no try.’”

“Wise words,” chuckled Solus. “We need to go, as do you.” She then placed her hand on my shoulder as Pacemaker placed his hand on the other and Blade Dancer hugged me as a mother would. “Good luck, Optimus,” bid Solus.

“Thank you, Solus,” I reciprocated. My optics switched off for a moment, then I realized what she said. “Wait, did you call me…?” I then saw my hands. They were in the familiar talon shape. I looked down to see my old cockpit chest. My shoulders had their flight jets back. I then felt around my head and found antennae. Solus was right! I’m back to being Optimus Prime! I gave a cheer! My magic was back!

“You’re quite the excitable one,” mused a voice. I turned to see Sira and Natalie watching. “We felt a magic surge, a small one, here. So, you reexamined your Spark?”

“I did,” I replied, calming down. “I have a few friends to thank. Pacemaker, Blade Dancer, the Primes, the Autobots, our Mobian allies, and you. Thank you.”

“For what?” asked Sira.

“For having me go on this journey to truly know what I need to be mindful of,” I explained.

“Well,” muttered Sira, “we all saw that you were going on some journey. Even my current apprentice, Amy Rose, could see it.”

“The Scarlet Specter has a good teacher,” I praised.

“I’m flattered,” replied Sira. “Like I said, we all knew you were going on a journey. The reason behind it? That was something we couldn’t see. Good thing, too.”

“It wouldn’t really be a test if someone knew the answer,” I guessed.

“You got it,” confirmed Sira.

“Personally, I hope this is the last time I go through this trial,” I sighed.

“You don’t get it, do you?” observed Natalie. “The Trial of the Soul never ends. The universe wanted to see if you could really change and you just proved you can.”

“When I asked my friends for help,” I realized.

“Exactly,” answered Sira. “That’s what a true Transformer does, regardless of being made of metal or flesh and blood. It changes, adapts, helps, and is helped along the way. No being can change without some help.” She then bade me follow her through the house. “Yes, there are those that abuse it by becoming overly dependent, but there is another end to that spectrum.”

“Never asking for help,” I answered. “Letting pride in doing things yourself get in the way.”

“Right again,” replied Sira. “And, along the journey, for a moment, you were thinking of possibilities never once considered by you.”

“When Blackarachnia showed me the Post-war Suffering being heaped on the Decepticons,” I sighed. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Then, don’t let me detain you,” bid Sira. “But, just so you know, you’re welcome to visit me when you need advice. And, if you’re lucky, Natalie and I may stop by your base.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll make a visit easier for you by mailing you your security cards,” I called.

“Much appreciated,” chuckled Sira. “See you out there!” I was at the main drive with Sira and Natalie still waving goodbye.

“Ad magnitudinem vero,” I chanted. I returned to my original size and switched the comms on. “Ratchet, this is Optimus Prime. My magic’s back and I need a Ground Bridge.” Static was the reply. “Ratchet?” I asked. I tried another one. “Tails?” Static again. “Teletraan?” Static from him?!

“Is something wrong?” quizzed Sira as she and Natalie ran up to me.

“Not even my A.I’s responding,” I answered. A horrible thought struck me. “The Holo-Droid!” I gasped. “I left a copy of me in command!”

“Before you went on this journey?” asked Sira.

“That’s what’s got me so worried,” I gulped. “I haven’t mastered teleporting myself yet. Want to visit the Autobot base early?”

“Sure,” replied Sira. “We just need an image to work with.”

“Better than that, I know the coordinates and the inside of the base,” I helped.

“Even better,” cheered Natalie. “Concentrate on those things as we chant the spell.” We then held our hands up like a doctor would. I did as asked, and we started chanting.

“Locus. Locus. Locus,” we chanted. As we did, magic was flowing around us. We let my image and coordinates bleed into the magic and it started guiding us there.

* * *

The Holo-droid went to the main command center. “All right,” it muttered. “What’s on the docket for today? Ah, yes. Teletraan 1, open a channel to the Autobot fleet. Tell them they are to launch within the hour.”

“Not a chance!” snarled Teletraan. “GUYS! NOW!”

“CYBER KEY POWER!” shouted all the Autobots as they came out of the woodwork. Jazz fired off his Bass Cannons at the Holo-Droid. Prowl’s shoulder mounted launchers became shoulder mounted rifles as they fired. Bumblebee’s hands became spikes and they fired a large stream of electricity. Cliffjumper unleashed triple-barreled blasters from his arms. Ironhide combined his cannons to make a laser bazooka. Ratchet had claws deploy from his arms and fire electromagnetic beams. Teletraan deployed internal defenses. The Holo-Droid face-palmed.

“Seriously?” it asked. “I’m made of lights and force-fields! What can you…?” Its power levels went to 99% after 12 seconds. It waited another 12 seconds before it dropped to 98%. “Not gonna work, guys,” it remarked. “I can do this all day!”

“Tails, is it even doing anything?” gulped Prowl.

“Its power levels are dropping, but slowly!” reported Tails as he looked on a monitor. “Keep up the attack!”

“Guys, I’m getting bored!” sigh the Holo-Droid. The Cyber Keys then wore off. “There! You’re done!” remarked the Holo-Droid. “Now, will you just…?!” The Autobots then each took a tank from beneath the floor, converted them to rifles, and fired. “Oh, hey! Commander Tower let you guys have them again. Awesome.” It then used its forcefields in its hands to redirect the beams of light to the Autobots. They were blown into the walls.

“NO! KEEP UP THE ASSAULT!” cried Tails.

“Oh, Miles Prower!” quizzed the Holo-Droid in a sing-song voice. “Is that you I hear?”

“Oh, Scrap in a Test Tube!” swore Tails. He turned to his friends, hiding behind him. “It’s our turn already, guys!”

“Blast away!” cheered Sonic. Knuckles grabbed Tails’ legs and Tails grabbed Sonic’s legs. Knuckles spun around a few times, then released Tails.

“SONIC OVERDRIVE!” announced Team Sonic as Tails kicked Sonic into the air, giving him height enough to do a Light Speed Attack, doing his signature Spin Dash at higher speeds and bouncing on the Holo-Droid multiple times. The Holo-Droid knocked Sonic into his team.

“CHAOS INFERNO!” shouted Team Dark. Shadow initiated Chaos Control. Rouge lifted Omega by the head and he converted his arms into laser cannons, rotating them around his body in a counter-clockwise direction and firing. The Holo-Droid redirected the beams and knocked them down.

“FLOWER FESTIVAL!” called Team Rose. Big the Cat bounced Amy and Cream on his umbrella, then he lifted it slightly into the air. Amy landed on the umbrella, struck a pose, then Cream landed on her and struck another pose while an explosion of flowers hit the Holo-droid. The Holo-Droid slammed its foot on the ground as the flowers evaporated and knocked the team down. A shamisen was then being played, then drums. The Holo-Droid was confused.

“CHAOTIX RECITAL!” screeched Team Chaotix. They sang off key, unleashing a sonic blast. The Holo-Droid grabbed one of the overhanging blasters under Teletraan’s command and shot at the Chaotix’ feet. They were tossed like ragdolls. The Holo-Droid then felt something in its head.

“Hm, it looks like Teletraan’s trying to hack my systems,” it chuckled. “It’d be a shame if I didn’t anticipate that and made a special program for that!” It snapped its fingers and the main console sparked. Teletraan 1’s avatar clutched its head in pain.

“Teletraan, are you all right?!” asked a voice.

“Iiiii’mmmm fiiiinnneee!” slurred Teletraan. The avatar then fell.

“Was that…?” muttered the Holo-Droid, wondering about the voice. Trema came out with a laser pistol with a gatling gun barrel. “How did you get in here?!”

“Special permission!” answered Trema as she fired.

“I thought you saved a Nebulan Blaster for war time,” remarked the Holo-Droid.

“This IS war time!” snarled Trema as she continued firing.

“Hm, power levels are dropping,” mused the Holo-Droid, “but, not enough. Say, Trema, did you know various emergency procedures were implemented when the intruder attacked Optimus? This one’s my favorite. Emergency Procedure 5! Activate!” A force field came between her and the Holo-Droid. “Yeah, we got the tech from the cargo hold of the _Ark_!” it boasted. It then looked over its victims. “Look at you morons! Did you really think you could beat me?! There isn’t a single being here who can stop me! Primus, there isn’t even a being on this planet who can stop what I’ve begun!” Suddenly, a laser blast hit it from behind, sending it sprawling onto the ground. “All right!” it shouted. “Who had the gaaaaaaahello!” it said as it looked down the barrel of the laser pistol pointed at it.

“I don’t know,” grunted the owner of the gun. “I might know a bot.”

“Kiddo!” cheered Ironhide.

“Sir!” gasped Prowl.

“Dude!” called Jazz.

“Mr. Prime!” cried Cream.

“Optimus! You’re back!” cheered Sonic.


	20. Chapter 20

“Ah, Optimus,” gulped the Holo-Droid. “Er, this probably requires some explanation…”

“Teletraan briefed me on the situation when Sira, Natalie, and I teleported past the lock-down procedures,” interrupted Optimus. “You really should have stepped down.”

“Well, given the circumstances,” replied the Holo-Droid. Optimus wasn’t having any of that.

“Execute Shutdown Program Alpha Omega Prime!” he ordered.

“Wait a klik!” yelped the Holo-Droid. Too late. The image faded to reveal a boney, bronze looking endoskeleton with a blank face.

“Wait, WHAT?!” squawked Ironhide.

“If you’re wondering why I didn’t give you bots that shutdown code,” called Optimus, “it’s because it was keyed to my voice patterns.”

“Uh HUH,” mused Ratchet.

“Is everyone okay?” asked Optimus. Teletraan’s avatar shook his head.

“I speak for all of us when I say we’ve been better,” he groaned.

“Probably a good thing we haven’t tested out the new tanks G.U.N built for us,” supplied Bumblebee.

“How’s your brother?” asked Optimus. Bumblebee checked over Cliffjumper.

“Don’t worry, Twilight!” mumbled Cliffjumper. “We’ll stop Discord and Q!”

“I think he’ll be all right,” reported Bumblebee.

“Cliffjumper’s a Brony?” muttered Jazz.

“I’m surprised too,” replied Optimus. “In any case, Teletraan 1, end the lockdown.”

“Belay that!” shouted a voice. It was the Holo-droid! The image it was projecting was still Optimus, but it looked like the image was static-like.

“Bent on locking us in?” asked Optimus.

“We need to talk! I…” The Holo-Droid then stopped. “You’re the only one who doesn’t look surprised that I’m online again.”

“You’re based off my memories and mental patterns,” replied Optimus. “It’s natural for you to make back-ups.”

“Yeah, true that,” conceded the Holo-Droid. “I doubt you can stop me now. Teletraan, get a signal out to…”

“Frag that! I’m shutting you down!” snapped Teletraan. The Holo-Droid snapped its fingers. Nothing happened. The Holo-Droid was confused and tried again. “Deleted that,” explained Teletraan.

“Well, poopy,” muttered the Holo-Droid.

“Good work, Teletraan,” praised Optimus. “However, hold off on shutting it down. I need info from it.”

“You’ll have to beat me in a fight,” taunted the Holo-Droid.

“I have another idea,” replied Optimus. “Secondary computer, bring forth my Duel Monsters collection.”

“You’re seriously challenging me to _YuGiOh_?” scoffed the Holo-Droid. “You want to settle this with a children’s card game?”

“It’s going to be two decks of 40 random cards,” explained Optimus. “You may choose the rules.”

“You’re really going through with this,” sighed the Holo-Droid. “All right, ARC-V rules.”

“Teletraan, give us 8000 life points each,” directed Optimus. Teletraan brought up a life point screen. He looked up the rules and then assumed a referee’s uniform.

“Call it,” called Teletraan.

“Heads,” replied Optimus. Teletraan flipped a coin and caught it. “Well?”

“Bad luck, Prime,” sighed Teletraan to Optimus. “Activating holo-projectors.” Optimus then took one deck while the Holo-droid took another. They activated their duel disks.

“If you win,” offered Optimus, “the base is yours and we’ll relocate to the Space Colony ARK. If I win, you’re going back to factory settings after being shut down.”

“Fine by me,” replied the Holo-Droid.

“It’s time to duel!” announced Teletraan.

“Let’s see,” mused the Holo-Droid. “I think I’ll activate Unexpected Dai and special summon Warrior Dai Grepher from my deck. Next, I’ll normal summon Star Drawing” A male humanoid warrior with a large sword came up as well as a cutesy monster with a wand and beret. The monsters had two attributes, one for attack, and the other for defense. Grepher’s attack/defense ratio was 1700/1600 and Star Drawing’s was 1600/1000. “Now, I think I’ll use those two to XYZ summon Tornado Dragon!” A dragon made of wind appeared next to the previous two monsters before they were put inside the monster. Its ratio was 2000/2100. “Now, because of Drawing’s effect, I can draw a card. After that, I’ll just set this thing down,” the card was set in the spell/trap zone, “and end.”

“I’m not risking it,” replied Optimus. “I’ll play Hand Destruction, so we’re sending two cards from our hand to the graveyard and drawing their replacements.” They both did so. “Now,” declared Optimus, “I’ll summon Alexandrite Dragon,” a dragon with prismatic scales came up with a ratio of 2000/100, “and attack your Tornado Dragon with it.”

“Poor choice,” chuckled the Holo-Droid. “Here comes my trap card, Mirror Wall. That brings your Alexandrite Dragon down to 1000 attack points, leaving it open to Tornado Dragon!” Tornado Dragon bit into Alexandrite Dragon’s neck and tossed it aside. Alexandrite Dragon vanished, and Optimus’ life points went down to 7000.

“Scrap!” swore Optimus. “Still, you DID help me satisfy the conditions for my new monster. Because a normal monster was destroyed in battle, I’ll special summon Orichalcos Shunoros.” An elaborate, humanoid machine came up. Its ratio was ?/0. “Since Shunoros’ attack depends on the opposing monsters on the field, his attack is 1000.”

“Not going to help you on this one,” laughed the Holo-Droid.

“I wasn’t finished,” replied Optimus. “I’ll activate Swing of Memories to get Alexandrite Dragon back.”

“That’s gonna be destroyed when your turn ends!” observed the Holo-Droid.

“With Shunoros’ effect? Not likely,” countered Optimus.

“Scrap, you’re right,” swore the Holo-droid.

“Now, I set this little card in the spell/trap zone, and end,” finished Optimus.

“Let’s see what I draw,” muttered the Holo-Droid. It gained a smile when it saw the card. “Oh, perfect!” it laughed. “Let’s see, I think I’ll forgo paying Mirror Wall’s 2000 life point cost, so away it goes. Next will be the normal summon of Skilled Dark Magician.” A humanoid appeared next to Tornado Dragon. It was dressed in robes and shoulder armor, carrying a staff, with a ratio of 1700/1900.

“That raises Shunoros’ attack to 2000,” replied Optimus.

“Then I set this card here,” continued the Holo-droid as it was put into the spell/trap zone, “and put Tornado Dragon into defense mode. I end.”

“Thus, activating my trap card, Zoma the Spirit,” called Optimus. A creepy, impish looking creature came up. “I’ll just special summon it to the field and end.” An attack/defense ratio appeared with 1800/200. “I believe it’s my turn.” Optimus drew a card from the deck. “I’ll attack your Skilled Dark Magician with Zoma the Spirit.”

“Which only drops my life points by 100, if I’m not mistaken,” mused the Holo-droid.

“It’s right,” sighed Teletraan. The Holo-droid went from 8000 to 7900

“And Shunoros’ attack just went back because now it’s just my Tornado dragon again,” chuckled the Holo-Droid.

“Then I just set this and end,” replied Optimus. The card went to a spell/trap zone.

“I’ll just detach Star Drawing from Tornado Dragon, destroying whatever spell or trap you set,” laughed the Holo-Droid.

“FRAGGIT!” swore Optimus.

“Let’s see, since it’s my turn,” mused the Holo-Droid as it drew a card, “I’ll just set this and end.” It went into the spell/trap zone.

“Then, I’ll draw and pass,” answered Optimus.

“Pass?!” yelped the Holo-droid. It then sighed as it drew a card. “Your funeral. I’m playing the spell I just drew, Shield and Sword. That swaps the attack/defense ratios on everything on the field. Your Shunoros now has an attack of 0, your Zoma the Spirit has 200, your Alexandrite Dragon has 100 and my Tornado Dragon has 2100. Speaking of Tornado Dragon, I’ll switch him to attack mode, so he’ll attack Shunoros. So, I believe your life points are 4900?”

“Scrap!” swore Optimus.

“Your turn,” offered the Holo-droid. Optimus drew a card.

“Oh, perfect!” he cheered. “I summon Junk Synchron!” A short, stout creature in orange armor, a scarf, and goggles appeared. “Now, I’ll tune it with Alexandrite Dragon to synchro summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!” The previous monsters vanished, and Optimus put their cards into the graveyard. A dragon with a mix of crystal and machine appeared and roared. Its ratio was 2500/2000. “Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, get Tornado Dragon out of here!” Clear Wing Synchro Dragon roared in acknowledgement and swiped Tornado Dragon. The monster faded, and the Holo-Droid’s life points went to 7500. “Now, I switch Zoma to defense mode, set this, and end my turn.” Optimus set a card in the spell/trap zone.

“Hm,” mused the Holo-Droid, “I think I’ll activate Jar of Greed to get another card. Next, I’ll normal summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound.” A metal, corroded dog appeared. Its ratio was 1000/1000. “You know the automatic effect he’s got on you,” said the Holo-droid.

“I take 600 damage,” answered Optimus. His life points went to 4300.

“Now, for its second effect,” chuckled the Holo-Droid. “I’ll send it and the Ancient Gear Beast I drew earlier to the graveyard to fusion summon Ancient Gear Howitzer in defense!” A winged creature made of pipes and with turrets for hands came up as Hunting Hound faded away. Its ratio was 1000/1800

“Clear Wing will chain with its effect!” called Optimus.

“You dimwit!” insulted the Holo-Droid. “That’s not gonna do you any good! Card effects can’t affect Howitzer! Down go your life points, due to Howitzer’s effect!” Optimus’ life points went to 3300. “And I’ll just set this in the spell/trap zone and end.”

“Scrap!” gulped Ironhide. “Prime’s at a major disadvantage!”

“This game has a way of turning things around,” mused Jazz, “if there’s no cheating, at least.”

“Clear Wing will attack Howitzer,” announced Optimus.

“Will it?” asked the Holo-Droid. “Tell me, are there any Ancient Gear monsters in your deck?”

“Scrap! Howitzer’s effect!” swore Optimus. “Wait, there’s still Clear Wing’s effect to consider!”

“Oh, I have considered it!” laughed the Holo-Droid. “Hence why I’m playing Forbidden Chalice. I hope Clear Wing enjoys 400 extra attack, because its effect is gone!”

“Slag!” shouted Optimus.

“And Howitzer can’t be affected, so you’re still handing over your Ancient Gear Monster!” The Holo-droid held its hand out. Optimus handed over the monster. “Thanks to Howitzer, I can summon this bad boy, ignoring the terms of summoning! Didn’t expect your Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon to be on my end, did you?!” A metal, corroded dragon appeared and roared. Its ratio was 3000/3000. “I believe it’s still your turn,” giggled the Holo-droid.

“I’m setting this and ending my turn,” sighed Optimus. Another card went into the spell/trap zone. The attack points went back to the original number for Clear Wing and its effects were back.

“My turn,” declared the Holo-Droid. “Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon will attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. I see you trying to activate a spell/trap, don’t even try! You know as well as I do, Reactor Dragon can’t be affected by spells, traps, or monster effects until it attacks, and you take damage!” Reactor Dragon attacked and destroyed Clear Wing. Optimus’ life points went down to 2800. “And because of Reactor Dragon’s effect, say goodbye to Zoma! Your go!”

“Slag!” swore Optimus as he drew a card. “I’m playing Pot of Desires, so I’ll banish 10 cards from the top of my deck to draw 2 more.” He did so. “Now, I’ll play one of the cards I drew, Smashing Ground. Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon must go!” The monster was thrown off by the ground beneath it shaking like Jell-O. “Now I set this card and end my turn.” Another spell/trap.

“My turn,” replied the Holo-Droid as it drew a card. “Ah, I can use this! I play Overload Fusion! So, I’ll be using Ancient Gears Hunting Hound, Beast, Howitzer, and Reactor Dragon to fusion summon Chaos Ancient Gear Giant!” A metal giant came up with a ratio of 4500/3000.

“Hang on!” yelped Ratchet. “I saw those beasts go into the graveyard space! You shouldn’t be able to use them!”

“With Overload Fusion,” explained Optimus, “the Holo-Droid can use any Ancient Gear monsters on the field or in the graveyard. Banishment doesn’t mean death.”

“This game makes no sense!” shouted Bumblebee.

“Button it, pipsqueak!” snapped the Holo-Droid. “My turn’s not over. Unless Optimus has a spell or trap to use…”

“Which I do!” replied Optimus. “I activate Bottomless Trap Hole! Want to chain anything to the effect?”

“I see no reason to,” dismissed the Holo-Droid. “My Giant can’t be affected by spell or trap effects.”

“There IS a way for it to be vulnerable to that,” countered Optimus. “I’m chaining Effect Veiler to Bottomless Trap Hole!”

“WHAT?!” yelped the Holo-Droid. A blue haired angel briefly flashed before a hole opened beneath Chaos Ancient Gear Giant. It fell down the hole.

“That’s right, Effect Veiler can remove any effects, no matter the monster!” boasted Optimus. “With that, your Giant had no protection against my Trap Hole! Anything else you wish to do?”

“I pass,” hissed the Holo-Droid.

“Then I set this card and end,” finished Optimus.

“Give me something good!” begged the Holo-Droid to Primus. Its optics flashed. “Thank you! I activate Cup of Ace! Teletraan, flip a coin! If it’s heads, I draw 2 cards. If not, Optimus draws 2 cards!” Teletraan did so. “Well?”

“Bad luck, Optimus, the Holo-Droid won that one,” sighed Teletraan. The Holo-Droid drew.

“Perfect!” it cheered. “I’ll normal summon Clown Zombie!” A zombie clown appeared with a ratio of 1300/0, laughing creepily. “Since I control a level 2, Dark monster, I can special summon Caligo Claw Crow!” A cartoonish crow with oversized talons appeared with a ratio of 900/600. “Now, I’ll use these to XYZ summon Number 65: Djinn Buster!” A dark, metal encrusted monster with large swords for hands appeared with a ratio of 1300/0. “Djinn Buster, attack Optimus’ life points directly!”

“Hold that thought!” called Optimus. “I’m playing Call of the Haunted to revive my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. You’ll have to go through a replay for that.”

“Then Djinn Buster will break off the attack,” replied the Holo-Droid. “But, that does permit me to use Rank-Up-Magic Quick Chaos! That ranks Djinn Buster to Number C65: King Overfiend!” Djinn Buster changed into an overlord style monster with a ratio of 1600/0. “Now, I’ll activate its effect, targeting Clear Wing by detaching Clown Zombie! As long as Djinn Buster is attached to Overfiend, you can’t activate any monster effects!” Clear Wing’s attack went down to 1500. “Your move,” offered the Holo-Droid. Optimus drew.

“I activate Limit Reverse to revive Effect Veiler,” he announced. “Next, I’ll use him and Clear Wing to synchro summon Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!” A dragon made of crystal came up and roared, armed with a ratio of 3000/2500. “Crystal Wing, get rid of Overfiend!” Crystal Wing roared and slashed at Overfiend with its claws. The Holo-droid’s life points went to 6100. “Your move.”

“Indeed, it is,” agreed the Holo-Droid as it drew a card. “I’m playing the card I just drew, Fissure! Say goodbye to Crystal Wing!” Crystal Wing fell into a crack in the earth. “Now, I end my turn.”

“It’s playing with Optimus like a cat with a mouse!” gulped Ironhide.

“A non-Mobian cat, maybe,” sighed Sira.

“Come on!” pleaded Jazz. “Primus, let Optimus turn this thing around!” Optimus drew a card.

“I summon Necroface!” he called. A creepy baby’s head with tentacles coming out appeared with a ratio of 1200/1800. “Its effect allows all banished cards to return to the deck and gain 100 attack from each card. Teletraan, how many cards were banished?”

“15,” reported Teletraan. “So, Necroface will gain 2700.”

“Thank you,” bid Optimus. “Necroface, attack him directly!”

“And that activates my trap card, Nutrient Z!” laughed the Holo-Droid. “I’ll be gaining 4000 life points before taking damage.” The Holo-Droid’s life points went to 10100 before Necroface smacked it with its tentacles, bringing it to 7300. Optimus sneered.

“I end my turn,” he sighed. The Holo-droid drew a card.

“Oh, yes!” it cheered. “Mystical Space Typhoon! I think I’ll target…that spell/trap card right there!”

“That was my Burying Mirror Force!” thought Optimus. He discarded it.

“I end,” declared the Holo-Droid.

“All right,” answered Optimus as he drew, “I’m playing Allure of Darkness to draw two cards. However, one of my cards is banished because of Allure’s effect. Necroface shall attack you again!”

“Scrap!” swore the Holo-Droid. Its life points went to 3600. “Still, I have a life point advantage!”

“Then, use it,” insisted Optimus. “It’s your move.”

“Very well,” chuckled the Holo-Droid as it drew. “I’m playing Dark Hole to destroy all monsters on the field. Since Necroface is the only one, away it goes. With that, I end.”

“All right,” replied Optimus. “I set this one and end.”

“Already?” asked the Holo-Droid. “Well, I’m not one to take chances. I play Pot of Dichotomy. I’ll take three cards of different types from my graveyard and reshuffle them into my deck. Then I’ll draw two cards. Hey, the one I’ll summon is one Necroface returned a while ago. Come on back, Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!”

“You can’t conduct the battle phase,” replied Optimus.

“And yet, Hunting Hound still inflicts 600 damage due to its effect,” countered the Holo-Droid. Optimus’ life points went down to 2200. “Now, I’ll use Hunting Hound’s second effect to send it and another Ancient Gear monster to the graveyard to fusion summon Ancient Gear Howitzer again in defense!” Howitzer came back. “And, due to the effect, Howitzer inflicts 1000 damage on you!” Optimus’ life points went to 1200. “All that damage and my monsters didn’t need to lift a finger! I end my turn!” Optimus drew.

“I summon Mechanicalchaser!” announced Optimus. A spheroid machine with various hunting tools and wings came up with a ratio of 1850/800. “Those 50 extra attack points are what I need. Mechanicalchaser attacks Howitzer!”

“And Howitzer’s effect allows me to special summon Ancient Gear Beast!” laughed the Holo-Droid. Another creature built like Hunting Hound came forward as Howitzer fell. Its ratio was 2000/2000.

“Ample opportunity for me to play my trap card, Escape from the Dark Dimension,” announced Optimus. “I’ll bring back the card Allure got rid of, Dark Horus!” A black, metal dragon appeared with a ratio of 3000/1800. “Dark Horus will attack your Beast!” Dark Horus swatted Beast aside, bringing the Holo-droid down to 2600. “That’s my turn, what’s yours?”

“I’ll set this card I drew facedown and end,” finished the Holo-Droid.

“All right,” replied Optimus. He drew a card. “Oh, hello!” he said as he grinned. “First, Mechanicalchaser will attack your face-down.”

“Poor move!” giggled the Holo-droid. “My face-down was Charcoal Inpachi!” A wooden golem that was smoking appeared in a defense position. Its ratio was 100/2100. “Now, you receive damage for attacking a monster with a stronger defense!” Optimus’ life points went to 950.

“All right, Dark Horus will stomp Charcoal Inpachi,” answered Optimus. Dark Horus smashed Charcoal Inpachi. “Now, I’ll set this, and end.”

“I’m just going to set this one and end,” chuckled the Holo-Droid. Optimus grinned.

“He’s got him!” remarked Jazz.

“Who?” asked Ironhide.

“Optimus, he’s got a plan for the Holo-droid,” explained Jazz. “I see that win grin!”

“He’s at 950 life points!” protested Tails.

“If he plays it right, that may be an advantage,” assured Jazz.

“What makes you so sure?” quizzed Bumblebee.

“…Well… _YuGiOh_ is a very deep and involved game,” floundered Jazz. “His strategy will become apparent any cycle now.”

“…You have absolutely no idea how this game is played,” guessed Trema.

“…I can’t hide anything from a Witch, can I?” sighed Jazz. Trema shook her head. “Well, I DID develop an appreciation for it.”

“Since when?” inquired Tails.

“Since his girlfriend taught him everything he knows about the game,” explained Jazz. “He doesn’t flash that grin unless he’s got an ace up his sleeve.”

“My turn, I believe,” recalled Optimus. “I’ll draw.”

“Perfect chance to activate Ring of Destruction on Mechanicalchaser!” boasted the Holo-droid.

“I discard the card I drew to chain your trap with my own, Rainbow Life!” replied Optimus. “Whatever damage you were going to inflict on me becomes a life point gain!”

“Confirmed!” cheered Teletraan. Optimus’ life points went up to 2800 while the Holo-droid went down to 750.

“NO!” shouted the Holo-Droid.

“What did I tell you?!” cheered Jazz.

“Don’t celebrate just yet,” urged Optimus. “It’s the Holo-Droid’s turn.” The Holo-droid drew.

“I set this and end,” it announced.

“All right,” smirked Optimus. He drew. “I use Twin Twisters to discard 1 card and target that spell/trap you set. Dark Horus, end this! Attack the Holo-Droid’s life points directly!” Horus roared and sent the Holo-Droid sprawling as its life points went to 0.

“VICTORY! OPTIMUS PRIME!” announced Teletraan. Cheers rang throughout the base.


	21. Chapter 21

Optimus was being congratulated on all sides. The Holo-Droid glared. It couldn’t fathom how a mech that was weak could beat it at something it knew as well as its opponent. Optimus then took notice. “Well?” hissed the Holo-Droid. “What are you waiting for? Order my destruction and be done with it.”

“I want answers first,” snarled Optimus. “Who were you trying to reach?”

“If the past weeks were any indication,” replied an elder woman’s voice, “I’d say it was trying to reach me.” A femme then appeared. She wore white armor with a helmet style shaped like a Fleet Admiral’s hat. She had wings and the Autobot symbol emblazoned proudly on them.

“Fleet Admiral Flashpoint!” yelped Optimus. “How long were you watching?”

“Since your duplicate came back online,” replied Flashpoint. “That thing was mobilizing us to a set of coordinates near your current position.”

“What coordinates were you given?!” gulped Optimus.

“Southern Imperia,” answered the Holo-droid. “Specifically, Robotropolis!”

“Robotropolis?” asked Flashpoint. “The home of that unsavory human that keeps fighting a blue hedgehog?”

“You were gonna murder him with the Autobot fleet?!” growled Optimus.

“No!” insisted the Holo-Droid. “We’re not gonna MURDER anyone! We’re going to HELP Sonic save this planet from a certain cyclops!”

“…An ultimatum,” realized Optimus.

“Bingo!” confirmed the Holo-Droid. “We issue a very specific statement! Eggman drops his vendetta against Sonic and does everything in his power to get Shockwave under lock and key, or we level Robotropolis with the Autobot fleet.”

“What?!” yelped Flashpoint. “This is outrageous! I see no reason to…!”

“Would you think for a second?!” snapped the Holo-Droid. “This is a chance to fix this! No more having to deal with two problems! No more Sonic being distracted by Eggman’s schemes! No more Shockwave and Metal Sonic! Sonic, here, claims that he’s doing it for the people, when, truth be told, they’re comfortable with Eggman attacking and couldn’t care less! Sonic is a hero, a living part of mythology with power to inspire and go beyond limits! But, time and again, he gets squandered by the people he cares about! Well, it’s about time to correct this mistake! Eggman had succeeded a while ago by making the people numb to his schemes! He’s proven to be the first successful villain, so it’s up to us to help Sonic be a hero and save this planet!”

“YOU INSULTING, PATRONIZING PIECE OF SCRAP!” roared Sonic. “HOW DARE YOU!”

“What?!” yelped the Holo-Droid.

“You have a lot of gall,” snarled Sonic, trembling with rage, “to say that the people of this planet became numb to Eggman! You have a lot of nerve saying they couldn’t care less about their lives being trampled on by Eggman’s machines! You dare tell me that the people I protect don’t care about being saved?! Every day, I have to hear stories about Eggman ripping an entire village in Mazuri apart, a hole blown into Chun-nan’s mountainside, and ancient tombs in Shamar being robbed! I fight to make sure Eggman doesn’t cause that tragedy every day, that he has to think about the lives he’s ruined, even for a brief time! I have to live with the fact that I can’t be everywhere at once while a madman causes untold suffering! That’s why I save people, to show that one being is more than enough to stand up to evil! Nothing enrages me more than some hunk of junk telling me my sacrifices aren’t worth it!”

“I have never seen Sonic so mad!” Tails whispered to Shadow.

“Can you blame him?” muttered Shadow. “He was just told that people don’t care about good things, that people only care about themselves.”

“Holo-Droid,” interjected Optimus, “you want to save this planet? You want to show the world that Sonic and the Autobots are more than titans that visit rarely and just listen to prayer, not doing anything? In the end, all you’re doing is threatening people if you don’t get your way. You’re trading Mobius’ self-imposed sanctions for your own! That’s not Sentinel Prime’s example, that’s Zeta Prime’s example! The example of a despot, not a hero!”

“Slag it all!” dismissed the Holo-Droid. “We have to do this! Look at what Eggman’s constantly doing! Having to put up with two problems and rebuild again and again and again and again and nothing ever changes!”

“Wrong!” argued Optimus. “We WILL win through eventually. We do so by convincing people we’re right, by winning hearts and minds! We don’t force people to think as we do, and we sure as the Pit don’t point a gun to their heads saying accept or die!”

“Slag it! We have to do this!” insisted the Holo-Droid. “We have to…!”

“Fleet Admiral Flashpoint, broadcast an order to stand down!” ordered Optimus. “No action is to be taken!”

“At once, Sir,” obliged Flashpoint as she released a breath. The Holo-Droid glared again.

“He will never stop, he will never cease, Eggman will never change,” it insisted, “unless WE make him change!”

“…Teletraan 1, fry him!” commanded Optimus. The Holo-Droid’s image faded as the endo-skeleton sparked. It fell and made a crash.

“Primus, that’s a creepy cuss!” gulped Jazz.

“Fleet Admiral, you deserve explanations,” sighed Optimus.

“Yes, and I want details,” insisted Flashpoint.

“Everyone, whatever logs were made surrounding this unfortunate mess I put us into,” directed Optimus, “give them to her so she can have the facts as well as our views.”

* * *

The Autobots and their allies told Flashpoint everything. Flashpoint had her staff confirm the logs. When she got the entire story, Flashpoint sighed. “Well,” she stammered. “This…I…You understand, this is a lot to take in.”

“We can certainly go over the Holo-Droid’s systems and find the problem,” assured Ratchet.

“With all due respect,” sighed Optimus, “you won’t find a single fault. It was doing exactly as programmed.”

“Prime, it reached into my chest and squeezed my spark like a stress toy!” protested Bumblebee.

“The Holo-Droid was based off of my memories and mental patterns,” answered Optimus. “It’s more than likely that if I hadn’t gone on this journey, I’d be doing what the Holo-droid did, even going so far as to get the Autobot fleet here.”

“Prime, I don’t buy it,” remarked Vector. “How many times did you save this planet? You’re far from evil.”

“I believe the phrase, where you’re from, is that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions,” observed Flashpoint.

“Take it from a veteran of her caliber,” confirmed Ironhide. “Even I can tell you that the funny thing about morality is that you can justify anything, and I do mean ANYTHING, in the name of a greater good, but it’s a matter of where you draw the line.”

“I’m not particularly happy about what I’ve discovered about myself,” sighed Optimus. “But, I’ve got some people willing to give me a swift kick in the aft.”

“What I would like to know is how the Holo-Droid deleted the various Emergency Shut-down protocols you and Teletraan installed!” snapped Tails. “You guys buried them in its programming! It shouldn’t have found them!”

“Optimus’ invention, Optimus’ memory patterns,” remarked Ratchet. “The funny thing about exact duplicates is that you and the duplicate know everything about each other, including where one would logically put things.”

“So, that’s it?” rasped Shadow. “You went from one side of the planet to another just to find some witch who told you to get your act together?”

“No, I think this whole journey has ensured he won’t turn evil,” replied Sira.

“How do you figure?” asked Cliffjumper.

“Well, when the Holo-Droid went nuts,” supplied Amy, “what happened? We rose to the occasion. We tried to protect ourselves and our friends.”

“Optimus,” remarked Sira, “you should be proud of your friends.”

“Oh, I don’t think any bot is capable of being prouder,” assured Optimus.

“Well, if there’s nothing else,” interjected Flashpoint, “I promised my grandchildren I’d take them to Six Lasers Over Cybertron.”

“Oh, I LOVED that when I was a sparkling!” cheered Bumblebee. “There’s the Space Slide, the Galaxy Coaster, the Plasma Curve, and…”

“Corporal,” interrupted Flashpoint, “don’t make me hurt you.”

“Give your grandchildren my best wishes,” bid Optimus.

“Will do,” replied Flashpoint. “Fleet Admiral Flashpoint, out.” She ended the transmission.

* * *

After things settled down, Sira, Natalie, and Trema were given a tour of the base with Amy as their guide. They were granted access a while ago. “And this is Optimus’ office,” revealed Amy. “Let’s see if he’s in there.” She rang the chime. No one responded. “Huh?” muttered Amy. “Teletraan, is Optimus in his office?”

“No, he’s on the ship,” replied Teletraan as his avatar popped up on a view screen nearby. “He and Ratchet were checking over my link to the _Ark_ ’s functions.”

“Are they on the bridge?” asked Sira.

“No, Ratchet beamed down back to the Med-bay while Optimus went to the cargo hold,” explained Teletraan. “He’s busy playing on his flute.”

“His flute?” quizzed Amy. Meanwhile, Optimus was playing a snatch of music from _Star Trek_. It was from _Lessons_. He and Elita usually played a duet of the song with Elita on the piano. When he ended, he could swear he heard a piano version of what he played. Back on Mobius, Blackarachnia was playing a portable piano after she thought she heard Optimus playing the flute. As she played on Mobius, Optimus joined in at the right time and the song played on. No words were needed to show their thoughts on the other.


End file.
